


The unofficial guide to saving the mutant species

by 14million_constellations



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, And Peter is Toothless, Arguing, Avengers team - Freeform, BAMF Avengers, But not a dragon, But only because he cares, Clint and Nat acting like siblings when they are not, Crying, Feels, Fighting, Fluff, Fury acting as Tony's parental figure, Fury is kinda mean in this, How to Train Your Dragon AU, I really like writing dialogue, I took HTTYD and ripped it apart then put it back together only with Marvel characters, Minor Irondad, Minor Spiderson, Mutants, Precious Peter Parker, Scared Peter Parker, Scared Tony Stark, Sorry if anyone is OOC, Steve and Tony are kinda friends, Thanos is the big boss, The Avengers are all younger than normal, Vikings, Violence, Vomit, Where Tony is Hiccup, canon stucky, choking tw, concussion, everything in this is platonic, minor Stony, slowburn, strangling tw, wumph
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:46:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/14million_constellations/pseuds/14million_constellations
Summary: A venomous mutant. Only a few of it’s kind, and they hardly showed their faces around town. If Tony got that…His net hits it.A loud snap of whatever the mutant was swinging on can be heard as it breaks, and there’s a yelp from the being, but then it’s falling. It falls farther and farther until it disappeared into the inky blackness of the trees below.“Holy shit,” Tony gasps, leaning over the cliff.--Or--Tony is tired of being treated like a child, and not being allowed to defend his town from the mutants who ransack it nightly. So after an act of rebellion, he finds himself face to face with an injured mutant -- one of the deadliest alive -- and suddenly the fate of mutant-kind lies in his calloused palms.If only he had the skills to save it.
Relationships: Eventual James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers - Relationship, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 48
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

Tony was going to die. 

Or Fury was going to kill him. You know, on second thought, maybe dying by the hands of a mutant wouldn’t be so bad. 

Tony plasters himself to the side of the wall, his skin burning as something made of fire whizzes past. He breathes out a sigh of relief, but it’s short-lived as tendrils of red energy start to crawl up his legs.

In the distance, amongst the rush of fighting -- mutant against Viking -- Tony can see the figure of a girl, her eyes and hands pooling with Scarlett light. She approaches Tony slowly, his own frame shaking with poorly-concealed fear, but before she can reach him, a large hand grabs his forearm. 

Tony is yanked roughly into the blacksmith’s shop. He lands on the dirt floor with a huff, his friend glaring down at him with angry eyes. 

“What did I say?” Rhodey asks, his arms crossed. 

“You know I wasn’t doing anything,” Tony shoots back. “You don’t have to treat me like a child.” 

“Then why are you acting like one?” 

Tony may be a full-grown man, but he still frowns at his toes like a toddler about to throw a tantrum. The rest of the town won’t let him fight, and it’s always been that way. Ever since his father died and Fury decided to take control of Tony’s life -- before then, even. 

Apparently him being a Stark meant he was too precious. Too un-fit. Too… too… too ill-suited to defend his home. Mutant attacks weren’t uncommon by any means; but while the other citizens got to throw their lives away and fight for their home, Tony had to sit on his ass and pretend like his life actually was worth sitting around for. 

He was tired of it. He wanted to fight. 

And he would. As soon as his armor was ready. He would don his suit and run out into the fray; fully disguised and ready to take on anything that might challenge him. 

Who knows, he may have even been able to take down that girl earlier if Rhodey hadn’t stepped in and fucked it all up. 

“Earth to Tones,” Rhodey says, waving a hand in front of his friend’s face. Tony is still sitting on the floor. “Get up and help me. You can still do stuff while inside.” 

“Oh, so now you actually want my help,” Tony scoffs, picking himself up off the floor. 

Rhodey rolls his eyes. “Like what you were doing out there was helping. More like shaking in your boots and waiting for that mutant to finish you off.” 

“I could handle it!” Tony shouts, pumping the bellows of the fire. 

Rhodey spins around, shaking his hammer in Tony’s face. “Like shit, you could--” 

“Would you too shut it!” Fury scolds, ducking into the shop. The door frame is too short for him -- too short for anyone besides Tony -- so when he enters, he almost has to fold his body. “I swear I can hear your bickering over the fight.” 

“How is it tonight?” Rhodey asks before Tony can. 

“The same. Easy,” Fury says, laying his weapon down on the table. A steel-tipped club. He saunters over to the wall of ready ammunition and firearms. He pulls a broad sword from its rack. “This will do,” he mutters. 

“What’s out there now?” Tony asks. 

In his mind, he mentally checking off the mutants he could take down with the weapons he has available. The Physically Enhanced are always easier to fight than the Mentally. A person with scales would be easier to defeat than a being who could immobilize you with the flick of a wrist. 

He watched two men crumple at the feet of an Immobilizer last fall. It was terrifying and epic. 

“Mostly Physically Enhanced,” Fury says. He stares at the sword, trying to find wich stance works best with its weight distribution. “But a few Mental. We’re taking ‘em down this time. But, then again they only tried to steal chickens tonight. And corn.” 

Rhodey sighs as he hacks at a piece of silver. “It’s always the corn.” 

“It’s not our biggest threat.” 

Tony perks up. “So let me fight!” 

“You can’t even wield an axe,” Rhodey comments. “Or a club. Or a sword. Or maybe even a shield--” 

“I have machines that will wield them for me,” Tony says, pointing at a small catapult that he built sitting in the corner. “Maybe if you just let me catch one…” 

“This isn’t up for conversation,” Fury says, making his way to the door. A few people scream outside. “You don’t throw a fledgling out of the nest when he’s never flapped his wings.” 

“Stop with the analogies, and just let me do my own thing,” Tony exclaims. 

He doesn’t care that he sounds like a child anymore. No one listens to him. If Fury didn’t take up the mantel as chief, Tony knew he could do it a thousand times better. But no one crossed Fury. No one. 

Not even Hill… and Tony was sure even Nick was afraid of her. 

“You’re not my father,” Tony says. Rhodey stops hammering for a moment. 

Fury huffs angrily. “Your damn right, I’m not.” 

“Let me fight. If I get killed, don’t let it eat away at your conscious. It will be my choice.” 

Fury’s shoulders actually stiffen. Tony notices right now that the sleeve of the man’s jacket is smoldering. He decides not to tell him. 

“No,” Fury says. And then he’s gone. Back into the flurry of bodies. It’s amazing how the whirlwind of combat could shine so bright even in the pitch of the night. 

Tony wants to scream. Tony wants to pick up the club Nick dropped and break a table with it. Tony wanted to cry. Tony wanted to climb into his suit and duck into the night… maybe he could escape with the mutants when they fled. Maybe they would find a use for him amongst their chaos. 

He tenses at a gloved hand suddenly on his shoulder. “You know I don’t want that for you, right?” Rhodey asks. 

Tony wonders if Rhodey could read his mind. 

“Don’t throw yourself away in battle just to prove something to Nick,” Rhodey says. “Please. It’s not what you’re destined for. Besides, I would miss you too much.” 

Tony’s shoulders sag. “I would miss you, too.” 

He can hear Rhodey chuckle out of his nose. When Tony turns to look at his friend, they both smile. 

“I’m still mad,” Tony says, breaking the moment. 

“I know,” Rhodey says, picking his hammer back up. “I am too.” 

\----

The mutants come back the next night. And the night after. And the night after. 

It’s been this way since the beginning of time. They’ll always be back. Never the same group two nights in a row, but there are always recurring faces. 

The mutants and Vikings always fight. They always will. It’s written in every book his father made Tony read; every story his mother told him before bed. Tony sometimes wonders how Viking’s ever get any sleep. 

They stay up all day farming and tending to livestock, only to stay up all night defending those goods from beasts who try to take it for themselves. All Tony gets to do is work in the blacksmith’s shop. 

Rhodey says he has a gift. But if it means that Tony only gets to make the weapons that fight the monsters and not wield them, then he would call it a curse. 

It’s four nights after the incident with the Scarlett Mentalist (that’s what Tony has started calling her in his mind) that he decides to finally do something. 

The world has erupted into chaos and for some reason, the night feels much livelier tonight than normal. Tenser. Louder. 

Tony leans out the shop window to catch a peak. More Mentally Enhanced are out tonight. A few even fly down from the sky. Tony ducks below the window sill before any can see him. 

When he peaks back out, he is just in time to see five figures walking in formation towards the thrall of the battle. 

Five of the bravest and most tactical fighters that the town has. Tony has even heard people calling them The Avengers in passing. 

Clint Barton and Bruce Banner take the back. Tony likes Bruce; he’s brilliant and quick on his feet but known for an unruly anger streak. Clint is a little harder to get along with. He’s pretty unpredictable, and Tony knows that the group mainly keeps him around because he’s good with a bow. 

At the head of the group are Thor Odinson and Natasha Romanoff. Thor is tall and bulky, and stronger than anyone in town, but he’s a whole lot of act-before-you-think. He is good with a hammer, though. Natasha is the complete opposite. She can use pretty much any weapon and speaks at least seven languages. (Tony has no idea where she learned them; Viking’s only learn two dialects in class.) But she’s smart and always has a solution to any problem. 

And of course, leading his mighty comrades in arms to victory is Steve Rogers. 

Steve fucking Rogers. 

The light of Tony’s father’s life, and now the light of Fury’s. 

When Tony looks at Steve, he doesn’t know if he should be angry or swooning. Maybe he’s always a bit of both. Either way, Rogers was infuriating. 

With his perfect hair, and perfect physique, and perfect fighting tactics, and _perfect teeth._

If Tony could become a part of The Avengers, then Fury would have to let him fight. Everyone would. There would be no stopping him. 

So that’s what he’s going to do. Tonight. 

He’s going to take down a mutant, maybe two, and let The Avengers see. Make them let him join. He might even have a shot at chief once again. 

Tony is running for his suit when Rhodey jumps in front of him. “Where are you going?” Rhodey asks, sternly. 

“Just, uh, to uh… check on something in the back,” Tony lies. Rhodey sees right through him. 

“Sure, and I’m a troll.” 

“You don’t know about that,” Tony says, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ve heard you snore, and you might be closer in genealogy than you think--” 

“Rhodes!” A man cries, bursting through the door of the shop. “We need you outside! It’s-- it’s-- its bat shit out here!” 

Rhodey nods tightly, grabs an axe, gives Tony a strict look, and runs out the door. Tony waits thirty seconds -- no one comes back to check on him or switch out weapons -- and then he runs to his workshop. 

In a matter of minutes, Tony has pulled on his suit and is pushing his catapult out the back door. No one notices him at first as they’re all too busy swinging clubs at mutants, so Tony works as fast he can to get the machine set up at the edge of a nearby cliff. 

If he could take down one of the mutants flying through the air, Steve Rogers would definitely take notice. 

Behind him, the battle raged on. Screams and shouts of pain could be heard. Something zipped from rooftop to rooftop. A man with wings flew off with a sheep. Tony grit his teeth and started aiming. 

He missed the first three shots, only getting some nasty looks in return. It seemed that none of the mutants thought he was worth coming back and duking it out. Tony scowls. He’s only lining up his third shot when shouts of panic can be heard. 

“Duck!” Someone yells. 

Tony turns just in time to see a wave of people, both Viking, and mutant, duck down close to the ground to avoid being hit by something in the sky. 

“Venomous!” Someone else screams. 

A venomous mutant. Only a few of it’s kind, and they hardly showed their faces around town. If Tony got that… 

The mutant continues to swing over the crowd. People shout. A few even swing their weapons at it, but they can never land a blow. This one almost seems to know everyone’s move before it even happens. 

It also doesn’t seem to be landing, just moving around above the Viking’s and distracting them from other mutant’s raiding their crops. Stealing their food… Tony squares his shoulders and locks on, deciding to deal with the mutant before it’s too late. 

The venomous being swings out and over the cliff where Tony is hunkered, and before the mutant can dive back towards the town, Tony aims and fires. 

His net hits it. 

A loud _snap_ of whatever the mutant was swinging on can be heard as it breaks, and there’s a yelp from the being, but then it’s falling. It falls farther and farther until it disappeared into the inky blackness of the trees below. 

“Holy shit,” Tony gasps, leaning over the cliff. 

“Stark!” Fury shouts, and then Tony’s being pulled back. He stares into the cold, angry eye of Nick. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” 

“I got it!” Tony says, wanting to jump up and down in excitement. 

Everyone seems to have paused their fighting to watch Fury scream at Tony. Steve Rogers and the rest of The Avengers gaze curiously a few dozen feet away. 

“I told you to stay inside!” Fury exclaims, practically seething. 

“And I told you that wasn’t your concern,” Tony spits back, his excitement fading. “I got the thing! The venomous mu--” 

“Shut it! Shut. It.” Fury makes a gesture like a mouth snapping closed. Tony does so without thinking about it. “You can’t just come out here with your toys and costumes and pretend to be something you’re not! This is real life. And it is dangerous.” 

Tony stares at the space between his feet. He wanted to punch something. A mutant, Fury, himself… anyone. 

But instead, his fist stays at his sides, and his anger bubbles like a pot ready to spill over. 

“Do you understand me.” Fury says, and it’s not a question. 

“Yes,” Tony gives an answer anyway. 

“Good. Get inside.” 

Tony starts to roll his catapult back towards the shop. His head stays ducked in shame, as the stares from his peers burn into his skin like a blazing piece of cast iron. The Avengers all watch him go, and for some reason, that hurts the most. 

Clint snickers at him. Natasha can’t seem to pay him any mind. Steve just looks sad. 

Tony slams the door behind him, ripping his helmet from his head and throwing it to the ground angrily. 

“God damn it,” Tony curses, kicking the base of the furnace. He yelps, grabbing his foot and hopping around in pain. “Ow, damn it, ow!” 

“Wow.” 

Tony jumps back in surprise, whipping his head around to see Rhodey leaning against a workbench. His friend almost looks bored; like he’s seen this act too many times, and now he’s just forced to watch it. 

Which Tony supposes is true. 

“That was something,” Rhodey says. 

“I got a venomous one!” Tony exclaims, feeling that excitement making him jumpy again. “You saw, right? It went right over the edge!” 

Rhodey looks exasperated. He shakes his head slowly, his hand coming up to cup his forehead in the way a disappointed parent might do. “Tony… I don’t know what to do anymore.” 

“Then don’t do anything,” Tony says. 

“No! I-- ugh,” Rhodey mutters. “I want to help you, but the only way I do that is making you hate me.” 

“I don’t hate you…” 

“You’re starting too.” 

“No,” Tony says, “I hate Fury. You just have to do what he says.” 

“And you don’t?” 

“This fight is redundant!” Tony shouts. “We all know what Fury thinks of me-- the same thing my father did! That I’m not worth anything and that he doesn’t think I’m good enough to defend our people!” 

“Tony,” Rhodey says, keeping his voice level. “The reason Fury and your father didn’t want you to fight is because you’re _too important_ to lose. You’re smarter than any of us, and when you become chief one day, you’ll save this town in a way Fury never could, okay?” 

Tony frowned, but Rhodey had a point… he imagined. 

“I still want to fight. I think I could prove myself that way too. No waiting involved.” 

Rhodey huffed. “What if I talk to Fury?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Sure, uh… I guess.” 

“Thanks, Rhodes, you’re the best,” Tony says patting Rhodey’s back and running out of the shop before anyone could stop him. 

The fight has died down. It seemed that all of the mutants made their escape while everyone was watching Fury scold Tony. A few wandering Vikings shoot Tony glares as he runs past. Tony doesn’t pay them any mind. 

If his nets held up, and he knows they did, that mutant was still in the woods. 

Tony runs into the forest before it’s too late. 

\----

“How in the nine realms did this happen?” Tony asks the trees. “How did I ever lose a whole mutant?” 

Tony has been wandering through the forest for what must have been hours now. He hits branches with a stick he found on the ground, stepping over roots and mossy rocks. The sun has risen and is slowly creeping over the treetops. 

Tony’s stomach grumbles. He hasn’t eaten since supper, and his mouth is dry. He should have actually taken some food or water with him before he left. 

He continues to wander in the direction he thought he saw the mutant fall, and soon he can hear the sound of a running stream. He picks up pace. His mouth is parched. 

Tony parts a few branches, the sound of the water getting louder, and he almost falls face-first into a shaded glen. “Woah,” Tony breathes, staring down the side of the ravine and into the sanctuary that waits below. 

His eyes trace the water, small beach, and scraggly trees that fill the glade. 

But the thing that makes his breath catch is what is laying on the grass next to the pond. 

Struggling against the net it’s wrapped in is a boy. 

Tony shot down a child, and he looked terrified. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the chapter is shorter, the next one will be longer...

Tony couldn’t breathe. 

The mutant -- the child, the _boy_ \-- was rolling around tiredly in the grass. Tony could only imagine that the kid had been trying to escape ever since it was caught, and it pushes on the net with exhausted limbs. 

It was hard to see details from so far back, so Tony starts towards the mutant as quietly as possible. Behind his back, he grips the hilt of his dagger with a tight fist. 

He was going to kill this thing and bring it back to Fury, no matter how scared he may be. 

The only way to get down into the glen is a steep, rocky slope, so Tony slides down the dirt, skidding to a stop behind a large boulder. He catches his breath, gathering himself for a second before peeking out towards the creature. 

The mutant is watching him. 

“Shit,” Tony curses under his breath. 

Well, it’s now or never. He either attacks or runs. He either puts this thing out of its misery or lets it struggle until it dies of starvation. 

He couldn’t tell which was more humane. 

“Stay,” Tony commands, holding out a hand to the mutant and talking to it like a dog. 

The child frowns. It has stopped struggling, and now just watches with wide, chocolate brown eyes. 

Tony approaches cautiously. He examines the mutant closely, taking in how it looks so much younger than any of the other mutants he had ever seen in the raids. He takes in the curls of brown hair; the petrified eyes a baby deer would envy; the slender form of someone bordering on malnutrition… _When was the last time this thing ate?_

“Don’t do anything drastic and I won’t do anything drastic back,” Tony says, lowering his voice an octave or two. “Hear me?” 

_Do these things even speak English? Do they use words?_

The child whimpers. Tony’s heart pulls. 

Tony kneels down beside the kid, finally revealing his knife. The mutant’s eyes somehow grow even wider than before, and it’s breathing picks up to the point of hyperventilation. Tony watches the tears bloom in its eyes; a few sliding free and dribbling down its temples. 

It starts to mumble intelligibly. Small words trying to break free between muffled sobs. 

Tony wanted to throw his knife away. He wanted to run and leave this thing to the forces. He couldn’t do this… he couldn’t kill something that didn’t even have a chance to defend itself… but that was what Fury wanted. 

What the village wanted. 

What Steve Rogers wanted. 

This was _his chance._

“I am Tony Stark,” Tony starts, forcing himself to repeat the mantra he tells himself in the mirror. “Son of former chief Howard Stark, and apprentice of Nick Fury. I am a mutant killer, born and bred. I can do this. I can cut out your heart and take it to my people. I can do this…” 

His hands are shaking. 

The mutant squeezes its eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable. It sobs silently, laying stalk still. 

“I am a Viking,” Tony says. “I am _a Viking!”_

_“Please don’t…”_

Tony’s eyes widened in surprise. The thing just spoke. Real words. Like him or any of his neighbors. The child was still tense, waiting for its unfair fate. 

_What did it ever do to me…?_

Before Tony can think twice, he is cutting. 

The sound of ropes snapping fills the horrible silence of the glen, and in the corner of his vision, Tony can see the mutant’s eyes pop open. He only has a few squares of net sliced open before the child is jumping to its feet and pushing the screening off his body. 

Tony scrambles back, landing flat on his ass. 

The mutant glares at him for a second before running in the opposite direction. It scrambles towards the farthest and tallest tree and climbs up the trunk with lightning speed. He perches on a branch and watches Tony from afar. 

Tony is admiring the creature when it suddenly hisses at him, and fear floods the man’s veins. 

He is tearing out of the glen before it can hiss once again. 

\----

Tony tries his best to be quiet as he scurries up the stairs to his room, but Fury stops him on his way up. 

“Stark,” Fury says, staring up from where he sat in Howard’s chair. 

A few years ago, that would have bothered Tony. Now he was used to it; sometimes it was even hard to imagine that Howard used to fall asleep sitting there. Or that Tony used to sit on his lap as a child, the two of them dozing away the afternoons. 

“Fury,” Tony says, surprised. He comes down to the ground floor. 

“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Fury says, tracing invisible circles on the arm of the wooden chair. 

“Me too,” Tony says, suddenly feeling nervous. 

Would Fury kick him out for not wanting to kill mutants? Would he take away his role as heir to the position of chief? 

They both start speaking at the same time, words overlapping like waves crashing into rocks or your toes on a warm day. Abruptly, they both end their sentences and shut their mouths. 

It’s one of those rare moments when Fury’s exo-skeleton-like emotional shield has been dropped. Tony can see feelings -- maybe embarrassment. _Nervousness?_ \-- flood the man’s one eye. 

“You go first,” Fury says. 

“No, uh, you.” 

Fury clears his throat, then says, “After some deliberation with the council and with Rhodes, your wish has been granted. I will allow you to fight mutants-- with excessive training, of course.” 

Tony goes stiff with surprise. His mouth is dry. A part of him is elated; the other part wants his excitement to shrivel up and die. 

“You start in the morning,” Fury says. He turns to the large dining table they have close by. He picks up a giant ax. “You will need this.” 

When he drops it in Tony’s arms, the smaller man almost falls over from the weight of it. He stifles a grunt, hoisting it up over his shoulder. 

“That’s great, but…” Tony gulps. Fury’s gaze makes his skin itch. “We already have so many mutant-fighting Vikings. I mean, aren't we already facing an overpopulation issue? Maybe…” Fury just looks confused. “Maybe I could focus on something more important. Like helping Rhodey at the shop-- making weapons and stuff… or maybe I could make cakes! We always need more cakes…” 

“Stark, what are you saying?” 

Tony sighs, and with a groan, he drops the ax on the ground near his feet. “Fury, I don’t want to kill mutants.” 

Fury scoffs. “What? Yes, you do. You have since you were ten.” 

“Well, I don’t, _now.”_

 _“Stark.”_

“Fury, I _can’t_ kill them.” 

“You will. You’ll learn as we all did.” 

“You’re not listening to me when I tell you I can’t.” 

Fury sighs, squeezing the bridge of his nose with two fingers. Tony hates how this man always makes him feel like a child during every argument. 

“Tony, it’s time,” Fury says. “I didn’t think so before, but now I do. Most of the town is shipping out tonight, including me. We need people here to defend York while we are gone. You _will_ do this, understand?” 

Tony just frowns. 

“Tell me you understand, Stark.” 

Tony waits a moment. Glares. Then mumbles, “I understand.” 

“Good,” Fury reaches over and pats the yonder man’s shoulder. “I want you to remember that when you carry this ax, or any other weapon, you carry it for York. For your people. You defend us with your whole heart and in turn, we will do the same for you.” 

“Yeah…” Tony says softly. 

Fury starts towards his bedroom. “Good. Train hard. I’ll be back soon, probably.” 

Without turning around, Tony mutters, “I’ll be here, probably.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter focuses on training and real interactions with The Avengers. 
> 
> \----
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Tony interactions are always fun :D

“Welcome to mutant training!” 

Rhodey’s smile was bigger than Tony had ever seen it, and Tony wondered if this was how he always looked when he trained young fighters. Had Tony really been missing his best friend’s happiest moments… did keeping him in the shop all day dampen his spirits?

He was cut from his thoughts as a rough shoulder rammed into his. Thor sauntered past, hardly giving the smaller man a backward glance. 

The rest of The Avengers followed, each giving Tony a quick once over. None of them looked happy he was there. 

“Let’s get this started,” Steve says, spinning his shiny shield impatiently. 

“I want a scar,” Clint exclaims, smiling like a maniac. He rubs his hands together. “Something cool. Maybe across the face, or my back…” 

“I could break your nose for you,” Natasha suggests. Clint shoves her, and she laughs. 

“Not the same.” 

“We’re not here for the scars,” Steve says, his tone firm, although there's a part of his statement that makes Tony believe that he would enjoy a few wounds. “Imagine how many scars you will get while fighting during the raids.” 

“Or infiltrating a queen mutant’s base,” Thor says, his arms crossed. 

“Probably hundreds,” Clint says. “Or thousands!” 

Tony scoffs deep in his throat. The group turns to look at him, frowning. 

“What is it, Stark?” Bruce asks, speaking up for the first time since they entered. Tony was surprised that Banner was even tolerating his teammate’s juvenile conversation. 

Bruce was the type of Viking to favor reading about mutants rather than fighting them. 

“Nothing,” Tony says, his smile fading, “just, _pain,_ how I love it.” 

None of them seemed impressed by his sarcasm. 

“Who let you in here?” Natasha asked, her arms crossed and chin high. She made him feel inferior. 

“Okay!” Rhodey shouts, coming back from wherever he disappeared too. “Let’s begin! Now, as you all should know, the recruit who does best will have the honor to kill their first mutant in front of the whole village!” 

Everyone — besides Tony — practically jumps for joy. Tony could feel the excitement radiate from them like heat on stone. 

“Tony already killed a venomous mutant, so maybe he should just leave already,” Clint says, earning a bark of laughter from Thor. 

“Is it too late to transfer?” Bruce asks, sticking up his hand. 

“Don’t worry, Tones,” Rhodey says, coming over and placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re… smaller than everyone else. Hopefully, the mutants will see you as less of a target. They’ll go after the others first.” 

“Is that what happened to you?” Tony’s voice was flat. 

“Uh, no. I was always attacked first.” 

“I don’t know if that is good or bad.” 

Rhodey laughed, but it was one-sided. “Don’t stress it. You’ll do fine.” He says as he hits Tony’s shoulder. 

Tony wonders if it was too late to drop out. 

\----

“Duck!” 

Tony looks up just in time to see the mutant sweeping down towards him, it’s long wings spread open wide. The creature glares at him and Tony flounders for a second. In an act of panic, Tony dives to the side and the mutant turns in time so it doesn't crash into the wall. 

Instead of staying around to pick on Tony, it flies after Thor. 

“Get your head in it, Tony!” Rhodey calls from the side of the arena. “You almost became a flapjack!” 

“I seriously don’t like your teaching methods!” Tony screams back. 

“Never got a complaint!” 

“Well here’s your first one: why didn’t you give us any instructions before releasing-- oh my gods!” Tony picks up the pace as he starts running circles around the stadium. The mutant was on his tail once again. 

“When fighting against a mutant, what is the first thing you need?” Rhodey shouts. 

“A doctor?” Bruce asks. 

“A will to live!” Tony says. 

“A shield,” Steve calls, flashing his own. The sun hits the polished metal just so it glints into the mutant's eyes. It grimaces, covering its face and swerving to the right. Tony watches as it hits the wall. 

“Correct!” Rhodey shouts. “When picking between a sword or a shield, always choose the latter!” 

Tony quickly eyes the pile of worn, wooden shields laying in a corner. Everyone instantly runs to grab one, which is a bad idea, because now the mutant is able to attack them all at once. It dives towards Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Bruce who have all huddled over the pile of shields, fighting over who gets which one. 

“Look out!” Tony calls, and they all look up at once. 

Together, as if choreographed beforehand, they each take a shield and roll in different directions. The mutant swerves, narrowly missing the wall. 

Instead, it flexes its fingers, and suddenly its fingernails are growing into long and painted talons. Tony gulps. The mutant soars towards Clint and Natasha, and in fear, they bring up a shield to protect them both. 

They are almost too late as the mutant comes too close to taking out Clint’s eye with its talons. It clips itself with the shield edge and flies away in a tiff. Clint stumbles back from the slight impact and runs into Natasha. They both tumble to the ground. 

“Clint! Nat! You’re dead!” Rhodey calls out. 

“What!” Clint protests, but Natasha just drags him to the side by his arm, her face in a scowl. 

“Physically Enhanced Mutants always have some hidden skill!” Rhodey says, watching his students run around the arena like chickens missing their heads. “If you can locate that skill before the fight even begins, then you already have a leg up on the competition.” 

“That would have been good to know before--” Bruce suddenly falls flat on his ass as the mutant swats his shield with his wings. 

“Bruce is out!” Rhodey calls. “Tony! Do something other than run in circles!” 

Thor is called out before Tony can even see the mutant attack him. The giant man goes and joins the losers on the sidelines. 

Tony backs up until he hits something solid. He looks up quickly to see Steve staring down at him, not impressed. 

“Stay behind me,” Steve says, catching the mutant in his sight. He steps in front of Tony, only for the smaller man to try and get around him. 

“I can handle myself,” Tony says, annoyed. 

And then Steve is running away. “You sure?” He shouts over his shoulder, and then the mutant is on Tony. 

It beats at the air with its large, almost metallic looking wings and starts to lift the two of them into the air. Tony struggles, trying to free himself from it's grasp and almost falls the few feet back to the ground. 

_If only he could get a good footing…_

The mutant grunts with exertion, and for a long moment, their eyes meet. Tony suddenly remembers how the mutant in the glen spoke to him the day before. Maybe if that one understood him, this one would too. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Tony whispers. 

He wonders if the mutant can hear him, but by the way the creature’s eyes widen and he actually drops Tony back to the ground in shock, Tony assumes it could. 

It’s in those split seconds of surprise Rhodey jumps on the mutant's back and corrals it back into the caged pen it originally came from. Once the door was locked, Rhodey looked to the class. 

Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to ignore the looks he got from the others. They all seemed to think it was his fault that they got eliminated. 

“Remember,” Rhodey says, sounding tired, “when fighting a mutant, they will _always_ go for the kill.” 

Tony’s shoulders stiffen. 

_So earlier in the forest… Why didn’t the kid?_

\----

Tony watches the kid. 

He has hidden behind a large tree overlooking the glen. He has a pad of paper in hand and is taking notes from a distance, the mutant not noticing him spying yet. 

The mutant child is pacing at the bottom of a far cliff that walls the glen in. “Why don’t you escape?” Tony asks himself in a whisper, writing a new bullet point. 

  * _Mutant won’t leave. Why?_



The kid keeps touching it’s middle fingers to its palms and pointing upward as if expecting something to grab it. Or maybe something to shoot out of its hands. It does so three more times, with no effect, before throwing its arms down in angry fists and storming off towards the pond. 

Tony taps his pencil against his lips, thinking, when the tool slips and falls twenty feet down. It lands with a splash in the water below, and the child looks up in recognition. 

Now that they see each other, the mutant just rolls his eyes. 

“Come down if you want,” it calls out. 

Tony’s eyes widen comically, poking his head out. The mutant pushes itself to its feet, brushing dirt off it’s already muddy and ripped pants. 

“Aren't you afraid of me?” Tony asks, his voice louder than necessary. 

The mutant pauses, looking almost dumbfounded. “No. Are you afraid of me?” 

Tony takes far too long to answer. “...No.” 

“Then I don’t know why you keep hiding.” 

This was a completely different attitude than Tony had witnessed before. A day ago, the child was trembling and begging Tony not to kill it. Now it was almost challenging Tony to come and have a conversation with it. 

After long deliberation, Tony scales the edge of the cove and drops into the glen. The mutant stays at the edge of the water but does not take its eyes from its visitor. 

Tony keeps his distance. They stand several feet apart, but Tony raises his chin high, speaking in a voice that now hopefully masks any emotion. 

“Are you going to hiss at me again?” He asks. The corner of the mutant’s mouth curls up. 

“Probably not… are you going to try and carve my heart out?” 

“Probably not…” 

The mutant sits down. It picks up a stone and rolls it between its own fingers. “Hiding from me is kinda useless, you know. I’ve always known where you were.” 

Tony takes a deep breath. “How?” 

“Do you only ask questions?” The mutant’s brows narrow, but then he relaxes. “I have a sixth sense.” 

“I thought that was a myth.” 

“Nothing is a myth around here.” 

Tony sits, his hands coming to rest in his lap. “Are you a boy?” 

“What?” 

“I keep referring to you as _it_ in my mind…” 

The creature looks at him. “An _it?_ That feels kinda disrespectful, don’t you think?” 

“I think it’s disrespectful that your kind steals my people’s food every night.” 

_“My kind?”_ The mutant looks appalled. “You’re the one that shot me out of the sky.” 

Tony huffs. 

“You’re bad at this,” the mutant says, waving its hands as if that helped his explanation. 

“Bad at what?” 

“Conversation,” it continues to wave its hands. _“Talking._ I’d hate to be the one who had to listen to you ask questions all day.” 

“I’m sure the people who do live with me would love to trade places with you anytime.” 

A silence settles between them. It’s not uneasy, but Tony doesn't stop subconsciously reaching for his dagger either. 

“I’m a boy,” the mutant finally says. “So next time you think about me, _get it right.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't tell, I love writing dialogue. 
> 
> (Also: pretty much every mutant they will train against are listed in the tags, and will be someone you recognise. If you didn't get it, this one was supposed to be Sam (with a minor tweak))


	4. Chapter 4

It was strange eating in the empty village dining hall. Especially at the same table as The Avengers, with Steve Rogers sitting right across from Tony, and occasionally flashing him brief glares. 

Tony focused on his stew instead. 

“So, what did Steve do wrong today?” Rhodey asked. He had been going around the table, singling them all out one by one. 

“I mistimed my swings,” Steve says, looking disappointed with himself. “It threw off my defense and almost got me clipped.” 

“Yeah,” Clint says, his mouth full and spoon twirling between his fingers. “We noticed.” 

“I think you did great, Rogers,” Thor says, his voice magnified in the empty hall. “We all make mistakes.” 

“Yes, we do,” Rhodey says, “but Steve is correct. We should be hard on ourselves and tighten up our acts. There is very little room for mistake, especially since the mutants you battle will only get increasingly more difficult.” 

A few people look down at their bowls in worry. If that bird-man was the easiest opponent, who else would be waiting behind those doors? 

“What about Tony?” Rhodey asks. “Where did he go wrong?” 

“He showed up,” Clint says. 

“He didn’t let the mutant fly away with him,” Thor mumbles. 

“He’s never paying any attention,” Steve says, staring at Tony with bloodthirsty eyes. 

“Right,” Rhodey points at Steve, “Thank you, Steve.” The man stands, picking up his empty bowl and throwing down a thick manual in its place. “Here. This stuff needs to be your lifeline by tomorrow morning. Everything we know about mutants is inside, and your savior in times of certain death.” 

Outside, thunder cracked and rain hit the roof in a steady beat. Tony hoped the boy was safe out in the woods. 

“No attacks tonight,” Rhodey says. “Study up.” 

He leaves, almost half the table calling out to him in exasperation. 

“You want us to _read?”_ Clint asks. 

“No way,” Natasha sighs, standing from the table and starting towards the doors. “I need sleep and not books.” 

“I’m with Romanoff,” Thor says, and he and Clint follow her closely. “Let’s go kill stuff.” 

“I’ve already read it,” Bruce says, and Tony notices for a second that he already has his nose buried in a different book. He leaves. 

Tony looks to Steve with a meek smile. “Wannabe study buddies?” 

Steve stands, his side of the bench sliding back with a loud squeal. He’s still frowning. “I read it a month ago. Also, I don’t really do _buddies.”_

“No need to be cold about it,” Tony mumbles as Steve walks away. 

Tony drags the book over to his side of the table, the door closing with a resounding bang as Steve makes his exit. Tony flips to the first page, reading the table of contents and seeing that there are over a hundred chapters. 

“Holy--” Tony blows out a sigh of resentment. “Okay, let’s do this.” 

Tony has always been a fast reader, so it only takes him an hour or two to finish off most of the book. He’s in the middle of tiredly flipping through the pages when he’s stopped in his tracks. 

_Venomous Mutants._

Tony traces the headline for a second before starting to rapidly scan the page. 

_Weakness: Unknown._

_Speed: Unknown._

_Extremely rare. Poisonous even through skin to skin contact. Do not engage, and if you do, run and hide. Pray it does not find you._

\----

“You know, I didn’t really see anything about venomous mutants in the book,” Tony says, looking up at where Rhodey was standing over the arena. “Lots about Physically enhanced and Mentally… is there another book I can read? Or maybe even a pamphlet?” 

“Focus Tony!” Rhodey shouts, obviously annoyed. 

Rhodey had them running through a wooden maze set up in the arena. He had set a mutant loose amongst the labyrinth -- a man who could shrink and grow at will -- and gave them all shields. “Hide and defend,” Rhodes had said, leaving them to it. 

Now, Tony jumps as the wall behind him shakes, and someone on the other side starts cursing loudly. 

“Physically enhanced are quick and light on their feet!” Rhodey shouts. “This is your chance to be quicker! Run, hide, then attack!” 

More voices cry out in alarm. This mutant was an expert in the element of surprise. From the other side of the arena, Tony could hear Nat and Clint bicker like children once again. 

“So, like, how should one act around a venomous mutant to not make them attack you?” Tony asks, ignoring the craziness behind him. “Hypothetically.” 

Rhodey sighs, his body leaning against the cage above them. His arm dangled down through the arena’s ceiling. “No one has ever gotten close enough and lived to write the specifics of Venomous mutants.” 

“But--”

“Tony, _get in there!”_

“Rhodey, I just…” 

Steve is suddenly grabbing Tony by the arm and pulling them both to ground. Tony is at a loss of words. He just watches as Steve plasters his body to the side of one of the wooden panels that make the walls, and inches towards the empty corridor next to them. 

“You’re going to get us found,” Steve hisses out of his teeth. His eyes keep darting from Tony to the corridor. “Stay quiet and stay low.” 

Tony suddenly finds himself once again. He yanks his arm from Steve’s grasp and leans in close so their noses are almost touching. Steve stares at him with his jaw clenched. 

“Don’t tell me what to do, Rogers,” Tony practically spits. “You’re not my captain, and you never will be, so quit acting like my--” 

An ax comes flying out of nowhere, cutting Steve and Tony apart and lodging itself in the wall beside them. Tony stares at it, his chest heaving with surprise. Steve’s head looks as though it may explode. 

“Get your head out of your ass and face it,” Steve says, standing and yanking the ax from the wall. Tony just watches him with wide eyes. “Our parents' war is about to become ours, so pick a side and stop thinking this is all a joke.” 

At that moment, the mutant appears in front of them, growing from the size of an ant to the size of an adult man in a matter of seconds. He looks back and forth between the two Vikings, smiling in a way that shows he’s nervous. 

Tony sees it, and suddenly he wants to throw himself in front of the mutant. This one is just like the bird-man; confused and forced to fight for its survival. _Same as the boy in the glen._

But before Tony can do anything, Steve swings the ax at the mutant, and the ant-man shrinks down in surprise. Steve grits his teeth, glares down at Tony in a fury, and stalks off. 

Tony is alone before he can even process what just happened. 

\----

Tony didn’t know what mutants ate. 

They often stole York’s vegetables and farm life, but did they cook the animals when they took them home? If Tony gave the child stew, would he even know how to eat it? Could he use a spoon? 

Instead, Tony packed a small variety. Carrots, lettuce, bread, a small chunk of cheese, and beef, both cooked and raw. 

When he got to the glen, he saw the mutant sitting on a few tall rocks by the water. Tony didn’t bother hiding as he climbed down, and sure enough, the boy’s head snaps up and he watches Tony until the Viking is standing on the beach. 

“I brought food,” Tony says. The kid just watches. 

Tony notices that the mutant’s nose is raised and eyes are narrowed in a snarl, but then Tony is reminded of the knife hanging off his belt and he quickly takes it out. 

“You’re not getting me this way,” the child calls out. “Distract me with food and then stab me in the back.” 

Tony looks down at the weapon in his fist in panic and then throws it in the lake without thinking. The child just watches as the dagger lands with a splash. 

“Now, do you like cow?” Tony asks, taking a few steps closer. 

The mutant climbs down the rock, his hands and feet sticking to the boulder as if they were coated with glue, and Tony blinks in amazement. 

“Sure, I like cow,” the kid says, walking over cautiously. 

“Raw or medium-rare?” Tony asks, holding both out. 

The kid wrinkles his nose. “Who likes it raw?” 

“Right, right,” Tony throws the raw meat away. He hands the rest over. “Eat up.” 

The kid practically inhaled the food. They sit across from each other, Tony watching quietly as it all disappears, and when the boy looks for more, Tony has to shake his head. “Sorry… but I can bring you more.” 

“You better,” the kid says, licking his fingers. “I’m practically your prisoner down here.” 

Tony’s nose wrinkles at that. 

“What’s your name?” The mutant asks. His eyes were suddenly filled with curiosity, and how he sat with his legs crossed and wide eyes mimicking a puppy dog, Tony swears that the kid was only thirteen or so. 

_How can you go from looking twenty to nine in a matter of seconds?_

“I’m Tony,” Tony says. “Tony Stark.” 

The kid nods. “I’m Peter.” 

_“Peter?”_

The puppy eyes were suddenly gone. “Yeah. What about it?” 

“I just thought that if mutants had names, they would be something crazy and wild--” 

“We have fine names, thank you very much,” Peter says. “Eddie, Carol, Hope, T’Challa…” 

“Okay, yeah, fine,” Tony waves his hand to get Peter to stop. Peter smirks. “You guys have normal names.” 

Peter looks down at his lap, still smiling, when Tony asks, “Why don’t you leave?” 

The kid’s smile instantly fades. 

“I just mean, _I_ can leave,” Tony says. “So why don’t you?” 

“I have a bunch of different abilities,” Peter starts, his voice small. “Enhanced senses, strength, sticky limbs… but I can also make webs come out of my wrists.” 

“Webs? Like a spider?” 

Peter nods. “At home, they call me Spider-Man.” Tony snorts. “I know, super original, but… when I was shot down in the net, I think that it messed with my webs. They don’t work anymore, and they were pretty much my most valuable asset. Why would I go home if I’m defective?” 

Tony swallowed, his heart growing heavy with guilt. “Aren't you important? You’re _venomous.”_

“I’m young. Replaceable. They have dozens of people just like back home. The other night was my first raid. No one will probably even notice that I’m gone.” 

Tony watches as tears fill Peter’s eyes, and before he can stop himself, he is reaching out towards the kid’s hand. He is about to place his palm on the child’s knuckles when he remembers what the book says. _Avoid skin to skin contact._

Peter watches Tony stall with sad, tired eyes. “If you think I’m going to hurt you, don’t worry. I won’t.”

Tony places his hand over the kid’s. It feels okay, and even Peter seems to relax under the touch. 

Tony’s voice is small. “I won’t hurt you, either.”


	5. Chapter 5

“And when I woke up, I realized that my legs were broken. They would never be the same,” Rhodey says, turning his fish over the open fire. “That’s why I wear leg braces.” 

Tony has heard this story a hundred times. He was the person that even helped nurse Rhodey back to health after the initial accident. But that didn’t mean that everyone else knew it. 

Thor and Clint stare at Rhodey in wonder, mouths hanging open. 

“Woah,” Clint says, his meat burning due to lack of attention. Tony decided not to tell the archer. “That was epic.” 

Rhodey raises an eyebrow at him. 

“I uh… I mean it's epic that you got to fight a mutant,” Clint rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Not that you broke your legs." Rhodey just looks back down at his dinner. 

“You need to be careful when fighting,” their teacher says. “It is all too easy to get carried away, especially when you get overconfident, and some of the effects of your eagerness could be long-lasting. They call them battle scars for a reason.” 

“I swear that every mutant who harms my teammates will pay dearly,” Thor announces. Tony isn't used to the giant’s voice yet, as it booms like thunder from their perch above the empty village. 

They sit on top of one of the watchtowers set up around the outskirts of York. Tony wondered if that was such a good idea or not, considering their bonfire burned like a beacon to the world beyond. But as soon as he was standing at the top, over the waves and trees and houses, he couldn’t feel freer. 

As if he could get away from it all. As if there was a chance that one day he could escape. Leave Fury and the mutants. 

Find somewhere that was his. 

But now, with Clint’s chatter and Thor’s voice, it was hard to imagine himself somewhere else. Away from these goons and their hate for him. 

“I will chop off the legs of every mutant I see,” Thor continues, “to avenge your own, Rhodes, my dear friend.” 

Rhodey almost looks flushed against the glow of the fire. “As thoughtful as that is, chopping off the legs of mutants will do very little to stunt its attack. Physically enhanced usually have some kind of regenerative gene that will repair broken parts. Mentally enhanced will always be able to fight without all body parts. Remember, with them, it’s all in their heads.” 

Thor grumbles under his breath, then takes a huge bite of his turkey leg. It practically rips apart in his hands. 

“Every mutant has a weakness,” Rhodey says. “Though some of them may be hard to locate, they all have ‘em, as do we. The quickest way to take down a mutant is to locate that weakness and use it against them. If not, they might just do the same to you.” 

Tony suddenly sits up a little straighter. No one notices, but that’s just fine with him. Fewer questions as he quickly gets to his feet and starts towards the stairs. 

Rhodey’s words ring in his ears.  _ Locate that weakness and use it against them. If not, they might just do the same to you. _

Peter’s weakness was not being able to produce his webs. He was at Tony’s mercy if the chance arose. But maybe he didn’t have to be… maybe Tony could fix Peter’s weakness and then he could help show the village that mutants were not something to be feared. 

There might be a chance for the two of them to work together after all. 

\----

Tony shows up at the glen with enough food to feed a small army. Peter looked actually happy to see him. 

“Hi,” Tony says, trying to look interested as the kid starts chattering. He really did seem starved for entertainment, but Tony just wants to try his inventions on Peter to see if they fit. “I brought you food.” 

Peter dives into the covered basket as soon as Tony hands it over. The kid must have been really hungry because he starts eating a head of lettuce whole. Tony tries not to pay it any mind. 

In his own bag, Tony pulls out the wristbands that he made the night before. He doesn't want to freak Peter out or get him too excited, but he does want to see if they will fit. While the boy is distracted with his lunch, Tony slowly moves towards the mutant’s limp wrist and clasps one of the bands around quickly. 

Peter jumps. 

“What in the nine realms are you doing!” Peter exclaims, yanking his wrist into his chest. 

“Just-- stop--” Tony reaches for Peter’s hand, but the kid rolls his entire body away from Tony. Tony doesn't follow him; he just watches as Peter sits a couple of feet away and examines the invention on his wrist. 

“It’s to shoot your webs,” Tony explains. “You told me how it wasn’t working naturally, so I thought this was the next best thing. I have another one in here if you want to use two.” 

Peter frowns at the web-shooter, then frowns at Tony. “Don’t touch me again.” 

It hurts Tony to hear those words, but he nods, respecting the kid’s wishes. “Noted, just… you wanna test them?” 

Peter twists his wrists, and when he looks back up at Tony, his snarl is gone. In its place is the expression of a child when they are given a new toy on their birthday. 

“How do they work?” He asks. 

“Well, this button rests on your palm, and then you turn your wrist and aim at where you want to shoot. I have created a formula that shoots synthetic webs that can hold up to roughly two thousand pounds.” 

“Wicked,” Peter breathes, putting on the second web-shooter and turning his wrists so he can admire them. “How much of the formula have you created?” 

“Only enough to fill two cartridges so far,” Tony says. 

“I’m sure it’s pretty easy to replicate,” Peter mutters, “just an adhesive nylon polymer.” 

Tony looks at the boy with wide, shocked eyes. “Uh, yeah… do-- do you work with this kind of stuff a lot?” 

Peter shrugs. “I guess. Back home, before they started training me for raids, I would make weapons and things to work with certain mutants and their abilities. I never had to make anything for myself before, but this seems pretty straight forward.” 

“Sure,” Tony says.  _ Not like it took me all night to perfect.  _

“So, where do you wanna go?” Peter asks, excited. 

Tony is caught off guard. “What?...” 

“You know this place better than me. What are your favorite lookout spots?” 

“I…” 

“You know what, you can just tell me on the way.” 

Before Tony can ask what he meant, Peter is grabbing Tony by the waist, his hand sticking to the man’s hip as if they had merged to be one, and they are taking off into the open air. 

Tony screams. 

Peter is surprisingly good with the web-shooters despite never using them before. 

The mutant swings them out of the glen, and then they are soaring through the forest. Peter attaches his webs from tree to tree, them swaying from branch to branch like a pendulum in motion. 

Tony wraps his limbs around Peter’s body, not feeling embarrassed in the slightest. They are too high off the ground for him to care about what anyone thinks. He just doesn't want to die. 

“Having fun?” Peter asks, his voice getting swallowed by the wind. 

Tony forces out a meek  _ yes, _ vomit climbing his throat. 

When the trees start to disperse, and Tony knows that a tall cliff is coming up, he relaxes, imagining that Peter will turn them around. But when they don’t stop -- if anything, they go faster -- Tony physically recoils back. 

Peter keeps his grip, a mischievous grin spreading over his face. 

They swing and swing until the cliff's edge is not more than five feet away, and suddenly, Peter swings them out in a wide arch. They soar over the ledge, solid ground disappearing from under them and getting replaced with an eighty-foot drop into freezing water. 

The scream is ripped from Tony’s throat. 

Peter whoops and hollers with glee. 

They arch back into the forest, and then Peter is heading back towards the glen. Tony’s chest is heaving, breathing too quickly to actually keep any air in. 

When they land, Peter actually has to peel Tony off of his side. The man just falls to the ground in exhaustion. 

Peter starts to jump with joy. His hair is swept back from the trip, curls springing up in every direction. He runs a lap around Tony before kneeling down beside the man and staring at him with wide, excited eyes. 

“Can you believe that?!” Peter exclaims. 

Tony swallows. “No.” 

“That was amazing!” Peter says, shaking Tony’s limp shoulders. “Thank you so much!” 

And then he was hugging Tony tightly. Tony didn’t react -- he didn’t have it in him to react -- and just stared up at the blue sky. 

“Sorry for the surprise turn,” Peter says, letting Tony go. “You didn’t tell me where to go so I had to improvise.” 

Tony just nods. 

“That was amazing, though. We gotta do it again!” 

“Yeah, Kid, anytime,” Tony says, finally sucking in a full breath and holding it. 


	6. Chapter 6

Rhodey thought they were ready for the mentally enhanced. 

Tony thought not. 

He had released one on them as soon as the main gates had closed, much as he had done with the previous two. No initial heads up. No explanation. Just shouting orders as the fog slowly filled the arena and everyone ran around like headless chickens. 

Tony tries not to make it look like he was cowering. 

Clint is practically pressed against his back, the blonde standing stiff with his bow drawn. All Tony had was a shield. 

“Stop it,” Clint hissed through his teeth. 

“Stop what?” Tony asks, his eyes scanning the thick fog. 

“Shaking. Acting like a coward. Hiding,” Clint says, strictly. “Any of the above. You’re setting me on edge.” 

“Don’t you have anything nice to say _ever?”_ Tony snaps back, his back straightening. Even standing properly, he still doesn't match Clint’s height. 

“Yes, I do,” Clint says, “but not to babies--  _ hey!”  _

He suddenly shoots an arrow into the mist, and someone yelps. 

“Lords, Barton!” Natasha cries, stomping out into plain view. She holds Clint’s arrow. “You almost got me!” 

Clint snorts. “Not my fault you were stalking around like a mutant, Tasha. If you worked on your walk, then I wouldn’t have shot at you!” 

Natasha sighs angrily. “Enough with you trying to fix the way I walk! I walk normal, you just--  _ Oh my Lord!”  _

Tony whips around when he hears Clint’s shout. The archer isn’t there anymore. Natasha is staring at the fog, and a few seconds later, Clint bolts back out towards them. A look of fear is covering his face, and he doesn't even stop when Natasha sticks out her arm to catch him. 

“Clint!” She calls after him, but his reason for running is revealed behind her. 

Tony’s eyes widen as he stares at the mutant. 

It’s a man with salt and pepper streaked hair and even facial hair. He hovers a foot or two above the ground, making both Tony and Natasha cranes their necks up to look at him. His expression is unreadable; just blank eyes that watch them with mild intrigue. 

Natasha jumps into a fighter's stance. Tony gulps. 

Natasha actually has a weapon, so she takes the first swing, her sword arching beautifully through the air. The blade is only an inch or so from the mutant's face before it raises its hands, and a rope of orange light wraps around Natasha’s wrist. 

She freezes. A flicker of amusement passes over the mutant’s face. 

He swings his hand to the side, and Natasha goes flying. She shouts in surprise, and Tony watches her disappear for a second before he looks back to the man in front of him. 

The mutant glides towards him effortlessly. 

Tony scrambles backward. 

He hits something hard and it takes him too long to realize that it’s a wall. The mutant continues forward until they are almost nose to nose. Around them, the creature creates a bubble of yellow light. 

Someone -- Thor and Steve -- runs up to the outskirts of the forcefield and pound on its walls. They stand strong, but Tony’s gaze is locked with the mentalist’s. He tries to ignore the sweat dripping down the side of his own forehead. 

“I’m not afraid of you,” Tony says. He wonders if Steve or Thor could hear him. 

The mutant doesn't seem surprised that he is being spoken too. Maybe the bird-man spread the word that one of the Vikings liked to chat with the prisoners. 

“Yes you are,” the mutant says. Even his deep voice is emotionless. 

“No,” Tony shakes his head ever so slightly. “No, I’m not.” 

“Then why haven't you attacked me?” 

“Because I see no reason too.” 

And there it was again. A flicker of something real passing across the man’s statue-esc face.  _ Surprise.  _ The dome around them flickers, but before Steve could get past its walls, it’s back to its previously unbreakable state. 

“Look,” Tony says, his voice steadier. “Drop the forcefield and pretend like I did something to scare you. That way the class will be over.” 

The mutant huffs, his nostrils flaring slightly.  _ “You? _ Frighten  _ me?” _

Tony’s eyes narrow. Outside, Steve is glaring at him, trying to figure out what he was saying. Tony hoped that Rogers couldn’t read lips. 

“I’m trying to change their minds,” Tony says, his mouth moving as little as possible. “Really. I’m working on it. But everyone is so set in their ways… I know that mutants aren’t dangerous. The only way I can free you guys and help is if you cooperate.” 

The mutant grits his teeth for a second before nodding stiffly. “It would be nice to go home.” 

“Good. Then do this with me.” 

Tony throws a punch, his fist slamming into the man’s jaw and sending the mutant’s head snapping back. The punch wasn’t hard -- the mutant definitely made it look a lot worse than it was -- and Tony was sure that it hurt his own hand more than the man’s face. 

The force field glitches and then falls. Before anyone else could grab him, Tony wraps his arms around the mutant’s still hovering form and drags him towards the big, sliding doors on the other side of the arena. 

The mutant makes a show of struggling. He grunts and groans, trying to escape Tony’s not-so-tight grasp. 

“Quit struggling!” Tony shouts, hoping his acting was up to par. 

The door slides open when they approach, and Tony shoves the mutant inside.  _ “Sorry,”  _ he whispers as he shuts the door. 

He spins around, only to stop dead in his tracks as he realizes that everyone is staring at him in shock. Steve looks outraged. 

“What was that, Stark?!” Clint exclaims. 

“I just did what Rhodey taught us,” Tony says. 

“Uh, yes,” Rhodey starts, sounding unsure. “Whatever that was, Tony did in fact take down a mutant… so, maybe we can all take a note from him, yes?” 

“Yeah, totally,” Tony says, “just uh… Punch them and, uh, yeah… Are we done here? Because I've got some stuff I gotta do, so… Bye!” 

Tony runs from the stadium before any of them can stop him. 

\----

Tony hoped he was getting better at this whole web-swinging thing. Or he at least hoped that Peter couldn’t tell he was muscling down his screams as they whipped through the trees. 

He thinks that they are getting along better. 

Peter seems pretty excited to see him every time he shows up nowadays, and it’s not just because Tony brings all of his meals. 

They swing most of the time -- Tony can tell that Peter enjoys the freedom -- but if they aren't, they are sitting and talking. Tony realizes with a start one day that he has spoken to Peter more than anyone in the village (aside from Rhodey). 

But today they’re web-swinging. 

Peter is leading them through the forest like before, but this time they’re going in a different direction. Tony doesn't recognize where they are, but then again, he is spending eighty percent of the trip with his eyes screwed shut so bugs don’t fly in. 

When they finally stop, Tony is uneasy on his feet. He prys his eyes open to see that they are standing on one of the many islands that surround York. This one was far enough away from the village to be spotted, but it still had the same view. 

Peter was sitting on the edge, his legs dangling over the side and swaying slightly. If it were anyone else, Tony would have lunged forward to drag them away from the abyss below, but Peter was different. 

“You gonna sit?” Peter asks. 

He hasn’t spoken with hostility towards Tony since he was given the web-shooters, but there is always a bit on edge to everything he says. 

Like he’s ready to jump and run at any chance, now that he has the resources to get him home. 

Tony takes a seat next to him, but just a little farther away from the ledge. He crosses his legs and watches Peter pick at the grass. 

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Peter asks, his eyes pinned on the horizon. 

Tony wondered if he was searching for his home amongst it all. 

“Which part?” Tony says. There was so much to take in. 

“All of it,” Peter gestures broadly at the blue sky. The clouds were sparse today. “There's so much color here. Even in the cove, everything is  _ green _ or  _ blue. _ Back home… There is just so much grey.” 

“You miss it?” 

Peter shrugs. “Sure, it’s my place, right? My aunt is back there, and my friends… But I didn’t realize how much more  _ world _ there was past our borders.” 

Tony watched the back of Peter’s head. The slight breeze that drifted from the water below brushed through the kid’s curls and pulled them back. 

“They prepared me for fighting,” Peter continues. “For Viking fighting tactics and for how you guys live out here. But what they never prepared me for was how  _ beautiful _ everything was.” 

\----

“Do you think I can convince other Vikings that mutants aren’t dangerous?” 

“We  _ are _ dangerous.” 

“You don’t have to be…” 

“But we are.” 

…

“Tony.” 

“I’m just thinking. Peter, do you think that  _ you _ are dangerous?” 

“I thought you told me I was one of the most dangerous species.” 

“I did, but that was before I knew you.” 

…

“I think that maybe you could convince them, but only if you can convince us that Vikings aren't dangerous as well.” 

“I can’t even lie about that. Sometimes they even scare me.” 

“You’re not helping my case.” 

“Pete.” 

“Tony.” 

“Do I scare you?” 

“...No.” 

“You hesitated.” 

“You don’t scare me anymore.” 

“Good… you don't scare me anymore either.” 

“You already told me that.” 

“Just making sure we were all on the same page.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write the last section like that because it is midnight and I am tired of writing everything in between dialogue?  
> Yes.  
> Did I enjoy it all the same?  
> Yes again.
> 
> (PS. if you are having trouble reading the last part, just know that Tony says the first line, and Peter says the second. It follows that pattern all the way down.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter... I'll try to make the next one longer.

This was a bad idea. 

“This is a good idea,” Peter whispers as if he could read Tony’s mind. 

_ Could _ he read Tony’s mind? Was that a power that he hadn’t revealed? 

“You’re the one who won’t be getting in trouble,” Tony hisses. 

Peter’s eyes narrow. “No, I’ll only be  _ killed. _ Who’s got it worse here?” 

Tony huffed but continued their trek into the sleeping village. Peter walked in a way that made him look like a hunchback. 

“Just because I gave you a cloak doesn't mean you have to play into the role,” Tony says. 

“What?” 

“Why are you walking like that?” 

“To not draw attention.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “It has the opposite effect. Stand up straight, you’re hurting my back just looking at you.” 

Peter stands stiffly. 

Around them, the town slumbers. Any raids that would have happened are done now -- mutants attack like clockwork -- so York feels abandoned. A few carts are tipped over; a wall or two has been bashed in, but otherwise, everything is okay. 

That is until a broad figure moves a dozen feet away, it’s body nothing more than a silhouette in the darkness, and Tony shoves Peter through the blacksmith’s doors a little too aggressively. 

“Tony.” 

Tony spins around, making sure to stand in front of the closed door as it locks behind him. 

It’s Steve. 

“Rogers,” Tony says, forcing a snarky smile.  _ Act cool. You’re cool.  _ “You’re awake.” 

“So are you, it seems,” Steve plays with the shield that’s clasped to his arm. “It’s my turn for evening rounds.” 

“Right… so that would make mine tomorrow,” Tony says. 

Steve’s eyes narrowed. “Yours were actually two nights ago. Thor covered for you.” 

“Oh,” Tony says. Two nights ago he charted stars with Peter. He would never forget the kid’s expression as he named unknown constellations. “Thank him for me.” 

Steve’s lips pressed together for a second before he sighed. “Tony, where have you been? Aside from lessons, I haven’t seen you anywhere. Not even at the raids.” 

“I’ve been--” 

“You’re being weird,” Steve says, cutting Tony off. “I normally don’t care what anyone does, but you are being weirder than usual. It’s off-putting.” 

“That’s my middle name.” 

“Tony…” 

A loud crashing noise can be heard from behind the shop, and with a stiff glare, Steve is running away from Tony and towards the noise. Tony doesn't hesitate before ducking inside, grabbing Peter, and dragging him back into the woods. 

\---- 

“That Steve guy seemed cool,” Peter says. 

“He’s not.” Tony focuses on the screw he's replacing in the web-shooters. 

“You should at least thank me for creating the diversion that allowed us to escape.” 

“Thank you,” Tony says, not being genuine. He was still mad at Steve. “You know, Kid, it’s because of you that we even had to sneak into town to get the part to fix these.” 

Peter frowns. “I think you were the one that I had to save the last time we used those babies. Think of this as reimbursement… I save your life, you fix the things that saved it.” 

“But they are the things that also almost killed me.” 

“Tony…” Peter sighs. “Why do you have to make everything so difficult.” 

\----

Tony was definitely getting better at this being suspended in mid-air thing. 

“You’re doing better,” Peter says, his mouth full of dinner. 

They were taking a break. Tonight was probably another night that Tony was skipping out on his watch, but he couldn’t care. Clint could just do it and Tony would fix his bow next time it broke. 

Right now they were camped out on the cliffside of a smaller mountain. Around them, towering bluffs stood like a forest of rock out of the sea. It was supper time. 

Tony had stolen some food from lunch, so they were eating vegetables and cold biscuits soaked in butter. Slices of pork and cheese. Peter couldn’t look happier. 

“I think I’m doing better as well,” Tony says after swallowing. 

Peter smiles around a mouthful of biscuit. 

A sudden commotion beyond the cliffside pulls his attention, and the boy’s brow narrows. A young girl, no older than ten, clambers over the edge of the cliff with a beaming grin. She giggles to herself, dark hair flying, before stopping cold in her tracks when spotting Tony and Peter. 

It takes Tony a moment too long to realize that she’s a mutant. 

They all stare at each other in silence, the girl straightens herself before she waves meekly and says, “Hi.” 

“Hi,” Tony says back. Peter is almost sneering. 

“I didn’t know people would be up here,” she says, her hands tucking behind her back. 

Tony tries to make himself look friendly. “It’s okay. We don’t mind.” 

“Cassie!” Another voice shouts from just beyond the cliff’s edge. 

The girl -- Cassie -- jumps a little. She spins around, looking back down towards the voice. Tony wonders how a child could be so trusting of two strangers, especially a Viking, and turn her back blindly to them. 

A woman finally climbs up to greet the child, but when she spots Tony and Peter, all smile is wiped from her face. “Honey,” the older mutant says, beaconing Cassie towards her. “Honey, come here.” 

Cassie wanders closer to the woman before she grabs her hand and is hidden behind the frame of the mutant who must be her mother. 

“Mom?” Cassie asks, looking up in worry. 

The woman stares at Tony with fright for a second, before looking to Peter with a bit of confusion. Peter’s face has morphed into a scowl, and without a word, he shifts to sit in front of Tony, much like how the woman is standing to protect Cassie. 

The woman gulps. 

“Come on, Baby,” she says, pushing Cassie towards the bulk of the mountain and away from the other two. “It’s getting late.” 

Cassie tries to protest, but she and her mother disappear before Tony can hear what she has said. He watches where they left for a second longer, almost waiting to see if they would return, but they’re long gone. 

Peter practically deflates against Tony’s side. The boy reaches out for his abandoned dinner and resumes eating. Tony wraps an arm around Peter’s shoulder, drawing him close. 

Peter doesn't comment on it. 

_ You are all so different than we thought you were,  _ Tony thinks.  _ You’re not trying to fight us… You’re scared of us. All you want is to survive.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, what's up with the gap between uploads, am I right? 
> 
> School has just started back up for me, so I haven't had a lot of time to write. I'll try to get a new chapter out soon, but I   
> don't know when that will be. 
> 
> Please just know that I am working my hardest to fit writing into my all the sudden crazy schedule. 
> 
> \----
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you saw me post a chapter on here a few days ago from a different fic... no you didn't ;D  
> Anyways, please enjoy!

“Stark.” 

Tony jumped a foot in the air. His head whipped towards his front door, a shadowed figure standing just inside the living space, and in frenzied motion, he sweeps all of his blueprints and sketches for Peter’s web-shooters onto the floor. 

“Nick,” Tony says, leaning against his drafting table with a forced smile. “You’re back.” 

“Luckily,” Fury says, making his way into the room with a fatigued stagger. 

“You know that Rhodey’s not here, right…?” 

“Yeah, Stark, I know.” Nick actually looks as though he might smile. “I came looking for you.” 

Tony’s heart drops into his stomach. _What does he know?_

“You’ve been keeping secrets, and I don’t know how long you thought you could keep this from me, but… _nothing_ happens in York without me hearing about it.” 

Tony thought he may throw up. Fury crosses his arms. 

“Let’s talk about this mutant.” 

If Tony was a weaker man, he would have started crying. “Fury, I’m so sorry. I was gonna tell you, but--” 

Fury’s hand was suddenly on Tony’s shoulder, squeezing softly. When Tony looked up, there was an honest-to-God smile stretched across Fury’s face. 

“Wait,” Tony says, his voice dropping an octave. “Are you mad?” 

Fury laughs. “How could I ever be mad about this, Tony? You are finally learning to kill mutants! After years of _nothing,_ we are getting _something_ out of you. I’m more than just happy, I’m proud!” 

Tony didn’t know what to say. There was a lump in his throat that wasn’t there in threat of tears; it was nerves. Fury was finally happy with him, but not for something that Tony was proud of. 

Fury was going to want Tony to kill the final mutant, and he didn’t know if he was going to be able to get out of it this time. 

“I brought something for you,” Fury says, reaching into a bag. He pulls out a dented, metal chest plate. “It was your father’s. I’m sure he would want you to have it.” 

Tony takes the armor with gentle hands. He was sure that his father actually wouldn’t want his son touching his chest-plate, but he wasn’t about to tell Fury that. 

“Thank you,” Tony says around the lump. 

“No trouble,” Fury says, that goofy smile still on his face. 

“Um…” Tony rubs a thumb over the worn in metal. “I-- I should go to bed.” 

Fury stands straighter, excitement visibly jolting through him. “Right. I’ll… I’ll see in the morning, then.” 

“Of course,” Tony says, before reaching down, scooping up his drawings and carrying everything to his room.

Fury’s eyes burned into his back all the way up the stairs. 

\----

When Steve shoulder checks Tony, it almost sends the smaller man falling to the ground. Tony quickly tries to regain his composer, the weight of his new metal chest plate interfering with his balance. 

He figured out this morning it was made of a nickel-titanium alloy. It seemed sturdy enough, but he didn’t miss the snickers the Avengers sent his way earlier as he got ready. Tony had just lowered his head and continued on, subconsciously hiding the dented metal from onlookers. 

Now Steve sneers over his shoulder. “Stay out of my way.” 

Tony readjusts the wooden shield he has tied to his arm. “No problem.” 

It really wouldn’t be a problem. They were the only two people in the arena. 

Above them, Tony was sure the whole village was watching from behind the caged in roof, all fighting over spots to stand that had the best viewing point. He knew that Rhodey was up there, ready to release the mutant, as well as Fury. 

In the middle of the ring, Steve stood tall, scanning the crowd with a scrutinizing gaze. His shield glinted in the mid-afternoon sun. 

He was ready. Tony was not. 

_“Today is the day,”_ Rhodey had said earlier that afternoon. _“You already have the town’s vote, all you need is the Grandmaster’s. You get that, and the final mutant is yours to behead.”_

Tony was sure that those words were meant to strike determination, but they only filled him with dread. 

“Go, Rogers!” A voice shouted from above. Tony was sure it was Thor. 

Steve’s chest puffed just that much more. 

A sudden, creaky, mechanic clunking noise that Tony had come to know as the holding chamber’s doors echo through the arena. People ooh and aww in anticipation. Rhodey was releasing the mutant, and the fight was starting. 

A familiar red fog floods the ground. Tony’s heart pounds. Steve squares his stance. 

The girl -- the same one that attacked Tony on the night he shot Peter -- drifts from the inky darkness of the holding cells. Her face is set in a fearsome scowl; her hair, bright like flames in the sun, whipping around her shoulders. 

“This time,” Steve says, his teeth grit. “This time for sure. I’ll finally get one.” 

He charges at the girl, his strides wide, and she looks unfazed as Steve approaches her. Her palm sparks with red energy, and with a stiff flick of his wrist, she has Steve encased in the crimson light. 

He flings to the side of the arena in a blink, and Tony’s eyes widen as he watches the blonde soldier hit the stone wall with a _smash._ When Steve falls to the ground, breathless and dazed, the area he impacted is cracked and crumbling. 

And yet, the girl still glides forward. 

Tony does the first reasonable thing and runs the other way. The problem with being stuck in a walled arena, though, is that he eventually hits a dead end. With a gulp, Tony spins around, only to come face to face with the Mentalist. 

They lock eyes, hers blazing with scarlet heat, and Tony cowers against the wall. The crowd above has gone silent. Steve is groaning. 

Then she raises her hands. 

Instead of ripping him apart as Tony expected, she allows her fingers to bend and dance around his head. In a matter of seconds, Tony is somewhere else. 

He doesn't know where -- he can’t really make out features -- but it’s definitely not York. He can feel her in his mind. Feel her rifling through his thoughts and memories like pages of a book.

He can see it when she sees him and Peter. _Tony shooting Peter from the sky. Them meeting for the first time. Them swinging for the first time. Them sharing stories. Them camped out on the cliffside, the mutant child and her mother, Tony realizing just how harmless they really are._

The Mentalist gasps and Tony can feel it. Her hot breath against his cheek. 

And then he’s back. 

There are tears glazing her glowing eyes. “You are no threat,” she whispers. 

Tony tries to nod, but he’s shaking too much. 

“You want to help us… you _have_ helped us.” 

“I-- I…” Tony gulps. Behind them, Steve is pushing himself to his feet unsteadily. “I _will_ help you. I will help until every one of you is safe.” 

A tear slips free and slides down the girl’s cheek. It is unsettlingly quiet. 

“I will save you from this,” Tony says quickly, “but only if you help me now.” 

She nods. “Strike me,” she says, her voice stiff. She knows what they need to do. 

Tony’s brow furrows. Steve is up, and after one failed step, he is charging towards the girl once more. Tony suddenly shoves his shield into the mutant’s stomach before Steve can reach them, though. The girl goes down like Tony had stabbed her rather than hit. 

She does a pretty convincing job at looking unconscious. 

Everyone stares in shock before a loud cheer rises from the crowd. If Steve’s head could explode, the arena would be covered in his temperamental brains. 

“How!” Steve exclaims, throwing his hands up and running over to Tony. 

“I just struck her and she fell,” Tony says. Steve nudges the girl with his boot, his brows knitted together in rage. She stays lifeless. 

“This shouldn’t be possible!” Steve spits, his hands coming up to grip at his blonde hair. 

“I am just as surprised as you are,” Tony says. 

The crowd continues chattering excitedly above, like seagulls waiting for the food to drop. They are all collectively silenced when Fury raises a hand. 

Steve straightens himself and he and Tony both make their way to the center of the arena. 

The crowd moves to make way for a tall man painted with blue eye makeup and dressed in gold trappings. _The Grandmaster._ Everyone watched him, a man only second to Fury in political power, as his wild eyes darted between Tony and Steve. 

In a different scenario, Tony was sure that Steve would be beaming. Right now, though, Rogers' face held a glare that even Nick Fury would envy. 

Finally, the Grandmaster smiles and points through the caged ceiling down at one of the two competitors. 

Tony realized too late that his slender finger was aimed at him. 

The world spins. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Tony can hear the cheers and shouts of excitement. Beside him, Steve stares in shock. And then the dam breaks. 

“No!” Steve cries uncharacteristically. “No! Son of a half-orc goblin riddled shit bucket! No-- How in the _seven realms of Valhalla!”_

“Language, Cap,” Tony mutters, but it must be loud enough for Steve because he stops his juvenile version of cursing and seethes at Tony. His eyes hold anger that would justify ripping someone’s head off. 

Tony has to restrain from shrinking away. 

The crowd is still cheering. 

“You did it!” Rhodey exclaims from above. He has shoved his torso through the open slots of the sky-cage, his arms waving in wild excitement. “You did it, Tones!” 

Tony gives a weak thumbs-up, a phony smile stretching his cheeks. Rhodey is too busy going crazy with joy to notice. The main gate to the arena slides open, and two strong men come in and start taking the mutant girl away. 

Tony eyes the escape with a grateful gaze. 

“Well,” he says, looking to Steve, “if this is over, then I guess I should be going--” 

_“Where?!”_ Steve shouts, “Where in the world would you _ever_ need to be going right now?!” 

“I… I just…” Tony’s words died in his mouth, as the look he was getting from Steve was enough to wish he had never opened it. “Nothing.” 

A hand suddenly clapped his shoulder. Tony spun around to find Fury beaming at him. 

“I knew you could do it,” Fury says, sounding for once as if he was speaking the truth. 

Steve’s expression of rage turns to one of disbelief and envy in a matter of seconds. Tony just forces himself to stare Fury in the eye, internally wincing at the fake smile that once again stretches his lips. 

“Uh, yeah… Me too.” 

\----

Tony doesn't bother looking for Peter before loudly announcing, “We’re leaving!” 

The cove is quiet, like usual, so Tony’s voice cuts into it like a blade. “Come on, Pete! Pack a bag, we are getting out of here… As soon as possible actually, so if you could quit with the silent treatment, that would be-- Oh, _Lords almighty!”_

Sitting on top of one of the biggest rocks in the glen is Steve. He has his shield in hand -- his _god-damn shield_ \-- and is staring at Tony with a bored expression. 

“What are you doing here?” Tony asks, shoving his get-a-way bag behind his legs. 

“Just wanted to see where you go all the time,” Steve says, shrugging his shoulders. “Find out the answers to some of your secrets.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tony says. 

“Are you training with someone?” Steve raises an eyebrow, “no one gets as good as you are in this short of a time frame. Who’s teaching you?” 

“I’ve literally never been here before,” Tony says stubbornly, shoving a hand in his pocket. 

“Really, then who do these belong too?” Steve asks, revealing Tony’s box of emergency tools that he keeps around the cove for Peter. Tony’s own initials are burned into the wood of the crate. “They look an awful lot like yours.” 

Tony stiffly shakes his head. “I don’t… uh… I’ve been woodworking. Yeah, uh, woodworking! Carpentry, all that shit. Kinda a big fad right now.” Steve’s eyebrows narrow. Tony continues, “and there is a lot of room out here, and… wood. Yeah. A lot of--” 

He grunts as Steve suddenly lunges from the rock and shoves him to the ground with his shield. Behind them, Tony’s box of tools crashes to the ground loudly. 

“Ow!” Tony cries out, Steve pinning him to the ground. “Get off of me, Rogers!” 

With a quick and well-practiced maneuver, Steve flips Tony so that the brunette is lying stomach down to the ground. His cheek grates against the rocky dirt. Steve grabs Tony’s arm and bends it behind his back. 

“What gives, Steve?!” 

“That’s for lying and sneaking!” Steve says, and then he pushes on Tony’s bent arm. The joint pops and cracks loudly, but before it can dislocate, Steve pushes himself to his feet and stands. 

_“That’s_ for everything else,” Steve says, watching Tony groan and curl up on the ground. 

“Damn, Rogers,” Tony says through gritted teeth. “Why didn’t you fight like that in training?” 

“You’re on thin ice, Stark,” Steve spits, but his head suddenly whips to the left, and with a gasp, he grabs Tony by the arm and pulls him towards the rock. 

“Woah, Steve, what are you--” 

Steve clasps a hand over Tony’s mouth. Tony’s gaze follows Steve, and that’s when he notices what made the soldier freeze. Peter is standing about twenty feet away, his teeth bared and eyes blazing. 

“Get away from him,” Peter growls, and Steve’s grip gets tighter on Tony’s arm. 

“It’s alright, Tony, I’ll protect you,” Steve says, his voice so close to Tony’s ear that it sends a chill down his spine. 

_“Rogers,”_ Tony tries to say, but it's muffled. He reaches up and pries away Steve’s hand. “Stop, he’s okay.” 

Steve looks down at Tony in shock. “What? That’s a mutant.” 

“He’s fine,” Tony says again, wiggling away from Steve. “Pete, come on over here, Bud.” 

Peter doesn't move. Steve continues to stare at this situation in a poorly concealed surprise. Tony sighs. 

“Lords, alright, look, Rogers… you just scared him. He’s actually pretty cool.” 

_“I scared him?”_ Steve exclaims, _“It’s_ a venomous mutant!” 

“His name is Peter,” Tony corrects. “And he’s not an _it.”_

The underside of Steve’s eye twitches. 

“Pete, come here. It’s all cool,” Tony calls over his shoulder. He can hear as Peter starts to shuffle towards them. “I’m sure you know that this is Steve Rogers. You know, the guy from a few nights ago in York?” 

Steve stiffens. “You brought him to the village?” 

“How else do you think I know you?” Peter says, and Steve’s eyes snap to the boy. 

And then Steve is running. Both Tony and Peter watch as the blonde sprints and clambers out of the glen. Tony sighs. “Well, we’re dead.” 

But before he can convince Peter to pack his stuff and leave with him, Tony is watching Peter chase Steve into the forest. Tony just swears before taking after them. 

He has hardly crested the edge of the glen before he sees Peter swing down from a nearby tree and scoop up Steve in one arm. A pretty magnificent feat if Tony had to say so. 

Rogers’ shrieks. 

Peter swings around the tree he's attached too before twisting up and throwing Steve onto a high up branch. Steve quickly grabs onto the trunk of the pine in fright, eyeing Peter as the boy lands on the ground next to where Tony stood. 

“Stark!” Steve calls, “Get me down!” 

“Not until you listen to us!” Tony shouts, his hands cupping around his mouth. 

“I could always get him,” Peter mumbles. He stares up at where Steve clutches the tree for dear life. “Then go and drop him off a cliff. No one would know it was us.” 

“Lords, Peter, no.” 

Peter shrugs. “How about I just show him then.” 

“Show him what?” 

“What it’s like to swing. It seemed to change your mind.” 

Tony scoffs. “I already trusted you long before that.” 

“Sure.” 

Tony watches Peter roll his eyes, before saying, “Alright, wise-guy. You take him on a trip. But make sure to hold on tight. He has a heavy swing.” 

Peter sighs, aims, and pulls. He’s off the ground in two swift movements, and arching up towards Steve. Tony snickers as Peter wraps an arm around the soldier’s waist and takes off before he can warn Steve what’s happening. 

Steve’s yelp is lost to the wind. 

Tony chases them. 

They weave around trees and over rocks and roots. Soon enough, Tony has found them deeper in the forest than they had ever ventured before. Steve is gripping onto Peter with white knuckles, and when Peter pulls the same trick on him as he did to Tony -- arching out over the cliff so they are suspended over a void of nothing -- Steve screams bloody-murder. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” Steve exclaims when they land, falling to the mossy ground. 

Peter just watches the blonde tremble on the soil. Tony makes his way over and gives the boy a high-five. 

“I could have died!” Steve wheezes, obviously short on breath. 

“But you didn’t,” Tony says, kneeling down. Steve’s forehead is shiny with sweat. “He _could_ have killed you, but he didn’t.” 

Steve just stares with wide eyes. It’s a minute before he says softly, “I still don’t trust him.” 

Tony would take that. “I don’t blame you. I didn’t at first either. But you will don’t worry.” 

Tony steps back, and Peter takes his place. The kid reaches down and flicks back a piece of blonde hair from Steve’s eyes. 

“What do you say, Captain? Up for round two?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know how I feel about the ending, but it was getting long and I wanted to move on. 
> 
> Also, I realize that in the movie they take Astrid flying through the clouds and she loves it and all that, but Peter can't fly, so I'm gonna have to improvise. Sorry if it doesn't work as well (I realize that as well), but we're making due.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hello, hello, hi... 
> 
> I am so sorry that this hasn't been updated in over a month. I hope you didn't think I abandoned this, as I promise to see it through to the end!   
> Here's an update because I felt real bad about not getting anything new out. Hope you enjoy :D

Steve wouldn’t leave them alone. 

At first Tony found it endearing. Then he found it cute. Now he found it annoying. 

Every day Steve walked with him from the village after training, claiming he was just “keeping Tony safe” on his way to the cove. But Tony knew that a part of Steve was excited to learn more about Peter and mutants -- probably to figure out their weaknesses if Tony knew anything about Rogers. 

“Go away, Steve,” Tony says on the fourth day. 

“You should be at training,” Steve says, hopping down from his perch on a tall rock and stepping into pace with Tony. 

“I could say the same,” Tony remarks. 

Steve shakes his head. “Nuh-uh. I didn’t get picked to kill a mutant by the Grandmaster,” he says, a bit of resentment in his words. “I don’t need to train.” 

“Right. I forgot that you were born a perfect specimen.” 

Steve frowns. “You know what I mean. I have better things to do now than just repeat blocks and rolls.” 

Tony stops, and Steve follows suit. “Don’t think that Peter is your thing too,” Tony says, looking up at the soldier who was almost a head above him. “Just because you can’t mind your own business… You shouldn’t be a part of this, Rogers.” 

“You made me a part of this.” 

Tony felt his eyebrows pinch even closer together. He reaches up and jabs a finger into Steve’s solid chest. For a split second, his heart thumps wildly at the fact that he was  _ this _ close to Steve, but then he brushes over the excitement and rekindles his anger. 

“I never asked you to stalk me,” Tony bites. “I never asked you to kill mutants and attach yourself to the first one you could sink your claws into.” 

Steve doesn't look mad. It only makes Tony angrier with how calm the blonde looks. 

“Go away, Rogers,” Tony grumbles before stalking off. 

Steve didn’t listen.

\----

“Woah,” Peter says, smirking, “who spat in your breakfast?” 

Tony glared at the kid, before jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. “Him.” 

When Steve enters the cove a few dozen steps behind Tony, Peter’s face falls. “He’s back again?” The mutant asks, lowering his voice. 

Tony nods stiffly. “He won’t leave. Persistent bastard.” 

“Peter,” Steve says, greeting the boy with a forced tone. He still had yet to fully trust the kid. Tony grit his teeth. 

“Hi,” Peter says. 

“I thought I told you to go,” Tony comments, spinning around to face the soldier. 

Steve looks down at Tony, his nostrils flaring with a quick inhale before Peter breaks the eye contact. 

“Are we going out today?” The kid asks, being extra cheerful to raise morale. 

“Yes,” Tony and Steve say at the same time. 

“Awesome,” Peter says, already walking back to the entrance of the glen. “I found some cool new places to explore.” 

Tony shoots one last glare at Steve before running off after the kid. 

\----

“This is pretty cool,” Steve says, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge of the cliff. 

Peter had apparently spotted this specific outcrop on their last adventure and had not told Tony about it. It was covered in soft grass; a sparse forest of thin trees caging it in from the outside world. Right now, Steve and Peter sat on the ledge, their legs hanging over and feet pointed towards the fierce waves a hundred feet below. 

Across from them sat York. 

The city looked alive right now. The sun setting behind them so the world was shrouded in golden light. The torches were just being lit, and one by one, they burst to life in a spit of spark and smoke. 

In just a few hours, the mutants would come. 

“It looks nice,” Peter says, a small smile on his lips. 

Both Tony and Steve turn to look at him. 

“What does?” Tony asks, not being able to help but grin at the child. He was glowing in the light of the sunset. 

“The town. People being together. I wish I could go down there and stand in it.” 

“You’ve been there before,” Steve says. 

“Not the same thing,” Peter sighs. “I guess I just miss home.” 

“And what’s home like?” 

Peter shrugs. “I don’t know. Kinda dark. Kinda scary. Everyone is always competing with each other…” 

“That’s the same here, Kid,” Tony says, taking a seat beside him. 

Peter shakes his head. “Here, if you mess up, you fix your mistakes. You learn how to grow. Back home, if you mess up… that’s it. You’re cut out. They don’t do second chances.” 

Tony watches Steve open his mouth, flounder for a second, then close it. Tony couldn’t even make fun of the soldier for it; he was at a loss of words as well. Peter just sighs, his shoulders sagging, as he looks down at his bare, swinging feet. 

“Pete,” Tony starts, trying to come up with something comforting, but he stops when the boy suddenly goes rigid. “Kid?” 

Peter stands, staring off blankly at the horizon. Every hair on his arm and neck has risen, and Tony watches in panic as the boy’s hands practically vibrate by the way his muscles tense. 

“Peter?” Steve asks, sitting up straighter. 

Peter’s head whips to Steve, although it seems as if he isn’t really there. In a matter of seconds, Peter has swung an arm out and punched Steve square in the jaw. The blonde reels back and collapses into the grass, out cold. 

“Peter!” Tony gasps, his eyes on the bruise forming on Steve’s perfect chin. 

But then the kid’s gaze is on Tony, and he gulps. Peter’s pupils are the size of pin-pricks, and so much of his dark iris is visible that his eyes are pools of brown. Tony starts to crawl back from where the mutant looms over him. 

He hadn’t felt this much fear around the kid since that day he almost carved his heart out. 

“Pete,” Tony starts, his voice shaking. “Kid, this isn’t you. Le-- let me help you.” 

He reaches out a hand, trying to take hold of Peter’s wrist. But the kid bats his hand away with too much force. Tony tries not to let the hurt show on his face. 

Tony doesn't even get a chance to stand up and run, as Peter draws back his elbow and collides his fist into Tony’s jaw. Hot pain floods Tony’s mind, and then there’s nothing. 

\----

Before Tony opens his eyes he realizes he’s not on solid ground. 

He’s laying on  _ something, _ but just as he’s about to open his eyes, whatever he’s laying on rolls, and pain flood’s Tony’s mind. He groans lowly, and behind the wash of anguish, Tony can feel as water splashes out from somewhere and soaks into the leg of his pants. 

“Tony?” He can hear someone say close by. 

Tony groans again, and then he’s being rolled onto his back. 

“Tony,” the voice repeats. “Hey, open your eyes.” 

Tony tries to swat away the person, but they must duck out of the way because his hand just arcs through the misty air. Tony yelps when the person grabs his wrist, and in a burst of panic, his eyes wrench open. He’s staring at the face of Steve. 

“Wha…?” Tony asks, looking around blearily. 

Instead of answering, Steve jerks his head to the side.

That bruise that Peter created is still prominent on his face, but in a way, it only makes him look cooler. If Tony had a bone structure like that, he'd probably want a couple of scars to make him look even more rugged. 

Ignoring it, Tony follows Steve’s gaze, a fresh wave of pain rolling over him and causing spots to dance in front of his vision before he sees what has Steve so worked up. 

They are on the deck of a small ship, and standing tall at the wheel is Peter. He holds onto the wheel with a frightening grip, the wood splintering under his hands. The boy’s gaze is focused on the invisible horizon; the world around them clouded with low-hanging fog. 

_ “Peter,” _ Tony gasps, rolling onto his stomach. 

He pushes himself to his knees, and then to his feet, but sight evades him for a second as vertigo catches up. Before he can topple over, Steve is grabbing his arm and keeping him steady. 

“Pete,” Tony says again, ignoring the soldier and stumbling forward. “Peter.” 

Tony practically falls onto the kid as he trips over his own feet. Peter hardly finches, his shoulders held square. 

“Kid,” Tony says, pushing himself up off of Peter and holding him at arm's length. The only sign that Peter gives to show he is listening is the quick flick of his gaze in Tony’s direction. 

“What the hell, Mutant?” Steve exclaims, slamming his hand down on the railing of the ship. 

Tony flinches, but only because Steve’s voice sounds a hundred times louder in his broken head. Peter just blows hot air out through his nose. 

“You tell me to trust you,” Steve continues, stalking towards them. “Tell  _ us _ to trust you, and then you knock us out, steal one of our boats, and abduct us. I’m half a second away from throwing you off the ship.” 

“Steve--” Tony tries, but the boat suddenly hits a bigger wave and he lurches forward. He has to swallow down the bout of nausea that bubbles up, his grip tightening on Peter’s arm. 

“I wouldn’t touch me if I were you,” Peter says, his voice level. 

Steve’s eyes narrow. “Why not, Mutant?” 

“Because I’m the only one who can navigate this,” Peter says, and as if to prove his point, a giant spire of jagged rock emerges from the fog, and Peter swerves the boat around it with practiced ease. “Throw me over and you two will be goners in a matter of minutes.” 

Steve’s anger does not disperse, but he takes a step back as if just being around the kid will tempt him to attack. 

Tony can hear Peter mumble,  _ “That’s what I thought,” _ before his attention is on the man hanging onto his own shoulder. “You good, Tony?” 

Tony swallows. “Getting there. You’ve got a nasty punch, Kid.” 

“You two knew too much. Would have tried to stop us from getting there. I had to take care of it.” 

Tony looks up at the boy, his brow furrowed in both confusion and pain. “Get us where?” 

Peter nods toward the horizon. “There.” 

Both Tony and Steve look towards the bow of the ship. Out among the fog and coming into view was a mountain of black, craggy rock that seemed to stretch into the heavens. A cave’s mouth taller than any building in York was cracked across the front. It was darker than hell and devoured any light that was unfortunate enough to be near it. 

Suddenly Tony had a whole other reason to feel sick. Steve sucked in a shocked breath. 

“What is that?” Tony asks, his voice a whisper. 

“The entrance to the King of Mutants domain,” Peter says, his tone scarily serious. “Welcome to my home.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so if you didn't pick up from this, I will be changing a bit from the original movie because instead of dragons... *drum roll* ... we have mutants!   
> They don't have wings or giant-lizard bodies, so, I gotta change so stuff so it all makes sense.   
> That's Peter knocked out Tony and Steve and took them to the mutant king on a ship, instead of flying them there like Toothless does. 
> 
> Anyway, please excuse my late upload. I have just finished the other fic I was working on, so this will be my only priority for a bit. I don't know how many chapters I will have in the end, but as we can see, shit is starting to pick up!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took creative liberty with this one

Peter docked the boat down shore from the cave, the boy hopping back aboard as soon as he had the rope secure. Tony was rooted to his spot by the wheel; the soles of his boots becoming one with the sodden deck. 

“You coming?” Peter asked, his body turned so he could always keep an eye on the cave entrance. 

Tony tried to nod, but his joints felt stiff and his headache continued to pulse steadily. Steve stood at the side of the ship, his hands gripping the lip of the edge so tightly it had splintered. 

“What is your purpose with us here?” Steve spits, his eyes clouded with rage. “To give us to your king as prisoners?  _ As food?” _

“Lords almighty, no,” Peter laughs, the humor and joy feeling misplaced in this situation. “Mutants don’t eat Vikings. We’re the same race.” 

Steve rips his hands away from the railing, his clenched fists taking handfuls of wood with them. “We are  _ nothing _ the same. We will  _ never _ be  _ equals.” _

Peter just blinks. Steve lets out an angry huff, uncurling his hands and letting the shards of wood drop to his feet. 

“I just wanna know if you’re coming or not,” Peter says, brushing away the soldier and walking towards Tony. “It may be a little dangerous for you out here all alone, considering this place is  _ crawling _ with mutants.” 

“But aren't there more inside?” Tony asks. 

“Yeah…” Peter starts, “but at least I can be there to tell you what to do. You may pass as mutants easier if you are standing next to one.” 

“I thought you weren't wanted back here,” Steve says. “Why would they trust us with you?” 

From where Steve couldn’t see, Peter’s eyes narrowed and his smile fell. “Let’s get a move on before nightfall,” he mumbles and jumps onto dry ground. 

Tony forces himself to follow, and they have only walked a bit before he hears a third set of feet hit the gravel beach. Steve is tense and silent as he stalks behind them. Without intending to, Tony shuffles closer to Peter; as if his aching body may prove as an adequate shield for the boy from the super-soldier. 

As the mouth of the cave comes into view, Peter sticks out an arm and pushes Tony to the side of the mountain. Steve hides behind them, a few tall, craggy rocks covering them from view, but giving them a fair vantage point. 

Tony can make out the slumped forms of mutants of various abilities, all flooding into the cave-like beings on a mission. In their arms, they hold fish and chickens, slaughtered lambs, and bundles of vegetation. 

Exactly what they might steal on a nightly raid to York. 

“What’s happening?” Tony asks. 

Peter keeps his mouth shut, his eyes trained on the mutants who come flying down from the clouds. When he finally turns his head towards the other two men, the kid’s pupils are mere pin-pricks; his eyes too dark to be deciphered as any singular color. 

“We must keep going,” Peter says after a long pause. The words feel like a struggle to get out. 

“How are we supposed to go in there?” Steve asks, his tone bitter. “They’ll see that we’re Vikings.” 

Peter’s jaw clenches. “No, they won’t. They’re here for the same reason I am. To serve their king. If we keep our heads down and follow the crowd, we will hopefully slip by unnoticed. The only way to hide in this kingdom is to hide in plain sight. No one is ever looking for what’s right in front of them.” 

And before Tony can open his mouth, Peter is grabbing his hand and pulling him with a fierce strength into the crowd. Tony bites his teeth together, keeping his lips shut, and shooting a glance over his shoulder. 

Luckily for them, Steve is keeping a steady stride and is practically flanking Tony in movement.

_ Stop looking at me,  _ Steve says with a glare. Tony whips his head back around. 

Surrounding them, mutants of various shape, size, and type soldier on. There are people flying above and people climbing the walls. Some are so big that even Thor would feel rivaled. But the smell is what really catches Tony off guard. 

The air is warm and thick with it. Rotting flesh of presumably the animals that the mutants are carrying, but also something much worse. Tony dreaded the idea that they may stumble among a corpse in this dense swarm of people. 

But Peter continues on. Tony just tries not to blow their cover by stumbling, or worse, gagging. 

Finally, they come to a slow halt as the mouth of the cave has become nothing more than a key-hole of light behind them. Tony is pulled further into the darkness, Peter’s grip growing tenser with every step. Steve’s front is pressed to Tony’s back, his shaking breath hot on his neck. 

As much as this would bother Tony normally, he took comfort in knowing the soldier was staying close. 

When Peter stops walking, he does so so suddenly that Tony almost trips over him. 

“Wha--” Tony starts, before clamping his mouth shut at the sight in front of them. 

A creature, no, a  _ mutant _ was sitting on a massive throne made of cut stone. The figure towered over every other person in the cave, and he wasn’t even standing. His armor was gold, his skin a deep purple, and in the very limited light that a few torches gave, Tony could make out a deep scowl on his lined face. 

_ The Mutant King.  _

All of the mutants around them were slowly making their way towards the king, dropping their offerings of food at the base of the throne, and slinking back into the crowd. They all drop into a sullen bow, their shoulders trembling from the gaze of this ruler. 

“Come on,” Peter hisses, leading Tony and Steve to the side of the cave before anyone can notice. 

None of the mutants notice them dodging and weaving their way through. They all seem to be focused on getting their offering to the king. Peter finds a few large rock spikes and shoves Tony in before Steve, and then himself. 

“Peter, what--” Steve starts before the boy cuts him off with a harsh  _ shh.  _

Peter was focused on the king. The large mutant’s temper was seeming to wear thin, and the crowd parts a little to let a seemingly human man walk into the light. From this far back, Tony couldn’t make out his features all too well, but he could tell that his hands were empty. 

“Your Highness,” the mutant man starts, the cave growing deadly silent. 

No other mutant has addressed the king when placing their offering. 

The king holds out his hand, silencing the man. “What have you brought me?” 

The giant’s voice is like a storm. Low and bone-shaking. It sends a chill down Tony’s spine and suddenly he is glad that he is hidden from view. 

“King Thanos,” the man says, sounding nervous, “you see…” 

“What is your name?” Thanos asks. 

“Killian,” the man manages to say. “Aldrich Killian.” 

“Well Killian, You have brought me nothing,” Thanos says, not surprised. “And still you take up my time.” 

Killian flounders for a second. The mutants around him take a few steps back, obviously anticipating something bigger that was about to happen. 

Thanos just waves his hand. “Corvus, Proxima.” 

Two guards who had been standing by the king’s throne run down the steps and seize Killian by his arms. Killian instantly starts to struggle, his whole body resisting the touch of the guards. 

Tony notices as a third mutant saunters down the steps, a jovial smile on his face as he flexes his long hands. Tony had never seen a mutant like him before. 

The mutants that visit York are commonly more human in features, but here… there were mutants of every shape and size. Even this King himself was a sight frightening enough to stop a person in their tracks. 

This mutant, one Peter would later call Ebony Maw, approaches Killian with an outstretched hand. The cave is so silent that even Steve’s breathing seems too loud. 

Ebony twists his hand and Killian releases a scream so guttural, Tony and Steve shrink back in surprise. 

“Lords almighty,” Steve gasps. 

In a sudden burst of light, Killian explodes into a pyre of flames. The heat of him burns Tony’s skin despite the distance between them, and the crowd around the blazing mutant scurries away in a flourish of shouts and cries. 

Ebony Maw stands tall, his stance stiff as he twists his hand more, and Killian howls. His fire shoots upwards in a beacon of light, the flames fracturing the cave’s ceiling in a series of deafening cracks. 

The cracks quickly travel and splinter off along the dome of the cave, rocks and dust falling in their wake. Tony doesn't notice the small avalanche of debris that almost hits their hiding place with the distraction of the mutants panicking around them. 

“Tony!” Steve cries, pushing them both out of the way. 

They topple to the side, exposed to the dying light of Killian and the flood of mutants. Tony groans, none of this helping the headache that was starting to fade, and nausea rises in his chest. 

He doesn't have time to act on his body’s wishes because Peter is suddenly at his side and pulling him to his feet. 

“We have to go,” Peter says, “now!” 

Steve picks Tony up without warning, the soldier running after Peter as they join the crowd of mutants. It took Tony too long to realize they were headed towards the exit of the cave. 

His chin falls to rest on Steve’s shoulder, and behind them, he can make out the shocked expression on both Ebony Maw and Thanos’ faces. 

They both seem to be staring right at him. 

“Steve,” Tony mumbles. 

Steve can’t hear him. His words are swallowed by the crowd. 

“They,” Tony says, pausing to swallow back a dry heave, and then tries again. “They see us, Steve.” 

Thanos is suddenly shouting. Loud, booming words that bounce off the walls and lose meaning to Tony’s ringing ears. Tony just hides his face in Steve’s neck. Maybe if he can’t see them, they won’t see him. Maybe they’ll just disappear. 

Tony doesn't have the energy to lift his head again in order to check. 


	11. Chapter 11

The second time Tony woke up, he was back on the boat. 

He knew they were on the water as the ship rolled unsteadily over the waves, and no matter how slight they may be, they still had enough effect on Tony to make him choke on his own bile. 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Peter’s voice says. “Easy there, Tony.” 

There are hands suddenly on Tony’s face, and then his head is being turned. The action only makes his vision spin, and he groans at the taste of his own stomach acid. 

“Okay, okay, okay,” Peter says as Tony spits out the vomit. 

“Don--” Tony mumbles, but clamps his mouth shut when they go over another wave. “Don’t look, Pete.” 

“Tony,” Peter says, and the amount of pity in his voice makes Tony sick all over again. “Come on, we gotta get you up so you don't choke.” 

Now there are arms looping themselves under Tony’s armpits and hoisting him up into a sitting position. Tony could cry. His stomach was doing an acrobatic routine, and before he could stop it, he was losing the rest of his last meal down the front of his shirt. 

_ “Shit.” _

Tony tries to open his eyes, but his head is swimming, so it takes much longer to lift his eyelids than necessary. When he finally does, his vision is blurry, and takes a minute to focus on Steve laying on the deck a few feet from him, out cold. 

A voice starts to say something, but the words are lost on the way to Tony’s ears. Instead, his gaze finds the bile on his shirt and lap, and then it finds a pair of shoes that he doesn't recognize. 

He follows the boots up to a set of black, leather armor that doesn't seem like anything you would find in York. Connected to the armor is the head of a man -- a  _ mutant _ \-- with dark brown, shaggy hair, and a face that’s covered by a dark mask. 

Now that  _ definitely _ didn’t seem familiar. 

The mutant takes their gaze off the horizon for a second to engage in eye contact with Tony, before looking back out at the open sea. 

“Who,” Tony tries to say, but it gets jumbled on his tongue.  _ “Who--”  _

The next wave of water rolls under them, and Tony is unconscious before he can finish his question. 

\----

Tony was getting really tired of this routine. 

The boat knocked against something hard, the sound sending a spike of pain through Tony’s head like a sword through water. The man groans, trying to push away the noise, but his hand falls limp and rough onto the deck with a  _ thump. _

Hands fall onto his wrists, and the shock is enough to jolt him into a hazy consciousness. 

“Wha’ th’ fu…” Tony grumbles, trying to shake away the fists tightening their grip on him. “Stop,  _ stop--” _

“Tony, it’s me,” Peter says. “It’s Peter.” 

Tony lifts his head, blinking away the fog, before finding Peter crouching in front of him. The boy’s curls are damp with seawater, and half of his face is covered in dust from their escape from the cave. 

“I’m trying to get you out of here,” Peter tells him, already hoisting the man up onto his shoulder. 

Tony lets his head roll to the side. The rest of the boat is empty. The thing it was knocking against was the dock. They were back in York. 

“Wait…” Tony slurs, “Steve…” 

“Steve is fine,” Peter says, climbing from the boat and starting away from the village. The boy sounds exhausted. “I already have him back hidden away in the forest.” 

“What about... The-- the… guy…” 

Peter must not hear him because he just continues huffing on in silence. Tony’s brain is rolling in his skull, so he clamps his mouth shut before he vomits down Peter’s back. Behind them, the boat slowly gets further and further away, swaying in its post at the dock as if it had never left. 

\----

“No, it totally makes sense,” Steve says, the biggest smile Tony had ever seen stretched across his face. “It’s like a hivemind or something. They all operate under the king.” 

Peter’s head sinks into his shoulders. “Or something.” 

“Rogers, will you stop pacing,” Tony says, holding the cloth of ice against his forehead. “I’m gonna throw up again.” 

Steve stops in his tracks, sparing a glance at the other two watching him before he starts chattering excitedly again. “We have to tell Fury.” 

Tony instantly jumps to his feet. The world sways, but not enough to stop him. “No. Not Fury.” 

“Tony, sit down,” Peter says, tugging on the older man’s sleeve. 

“What?” Steve asks, the smile fading. “Why not?” 

“They’ll find Peter!” Tony exclaims. “They’ll kill him.” 

“We don’t have to tell them about the kid.” 

“Really? Then how else are we gonna explain how we got there?” 

Steve’s mouth opens before closing once more. Tony steps back and retakes his seat. 

“We have to think this over carefully,” Tony says, leaning into the ice he has pressed to his head. 

“Tony,” Steve starts. Tony still isn’t used to the soldier using his first name. “We just discovered the home of the mutants-- the very place our people have been looking for for decades. How can this be kept a secret?” 

Tony gives Steve a pointed stare, but the soldier doesn't glare. He looks genuinely curious. Peter sinks even farther into himself, his hands finding the edge of Tony’s shirt and playing with the stitching nervously. 

“We don’t have to worry about protecting the kid,” Steve says, gesturing a hand at Peter. The boy flinches slightly. “He can protect himself.” 

Peter stays silent, but his body language seems to protest everything Steve is saying. 

Tony looks to Steve, his gaze steely. “No. We are not telling Fury.” 

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Steve asks, exasperated. 

“Just…” Tony sighs, “give me the night. I’ll have an answer tomorrow. My head is still spinning.” 

“Fine,” Steve huffs. He looks angry, but the look suddenly turns to concern. “You okay?” 

“Never been better,” Tony says sarcastically, but he doesn't mean any harm. 

There is suddenly a hand on his shoulder. Tony’s head snaps up to see Steve standing in front of him, the blonde a mere shadow against the noon sun. Tony was about to shrug it off when he was pulled into an apprehensive hug. 

He almost resists it, but a part of him wants to stay, so he lets one arm wrap around Steve’s shoulders. 

“Thanks for kidnapping me,” Steve says. 

“Thanks for not ratting us out to the village.” 

Steve chuckles softly. “Yeah.” 

They are silent for a moment before Tony says, “Hey, Steve… did you see that guy on the boat?” 

Steve’s shoulders grow tense for a second before he says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

\----

Tony never gets to tell Steve his plan -- not that he had much of one anyway. 

The minute he steps out of bed after a restless sleep, Rhodey is bursting through his door and pulling him into a fresh set of clothes. 

“The day awaits!” Rhodey announces, “and so does that mutant!” 

And then it hits Tony like a sack of bricks. Today is the day he is supposed to kill the mutant. The day the whole town has been impatiently awaiting. 

Before he knew it, Tony was being forced out the door and towards the arena already packed with people. Fury sits on a platform, giving him a big, uncharacteristic thumbs up as Tony passes. Rhodey is then shoving him down towards the entrance to the ring. 

“Tony,” Steve says, running up to meet him. The soldier is carrying Tony’s armor, a shield, and a sword. “Here.” 

“Thanks,” Tony says, taking everything gently. His hands were shaking. 

“Are you really gonna do this?” 

Tony looks up quickly. “Wouldn’t you?” 

Steve gapes for a second, “I guess I wouldn’t have a choice.” 

“So there’s your answer.” 

That knocks Steve back a bit. “Tony--” 

“Are we friends, Rogers?” 

“What?” 

“You heard me,” Tony says, tightening the shield onto his forearm. “Are we friends?” 

“I guess…” 

“Are we really? Or are you only doing this because you found out about Peter and now feel an obligation to keep me in check?” 

Steve stays silent. 

“Right,” Tony mumbles, finally fully suited. “Look, if that mutant kills me, make sure you let Peter escape before you tell the town about the mutant king. You may not think so, but that kid deserves a chance, no matter what he is.” 

Steve takes a short, gasping breath. “Tony…” 

“Just,” Tony can’t keep talking to him. He was too close to turning tail and bolting. “Do that. Please.” 

Steve is hesitant, but he nods, and a weight is lifted from Tony’s shoulders. 

And then the gate is opening, and Tony is stepping into the ring with ear-shattering applause. His whole body shakes. 

_ You can stop this madness,  _ a voice says. It takes a moment for him to register it as the mutant woman he fought a while ago.  _ You can save us both.  _

He nods to the voice and continues forward. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for choking/strangling
> 
> Let me know if there are any others I need to add.

The arena was a lot more intimidating when standing alone. 

Tony tried to block out the sounds of the audience chattering above him, like birds waiting for their meal, and narrowed his focus on the door on the other side of the ring. It starts to open with a creak and a clank, and the town falls silent. 

Out of the darkness walked a figure who made Tony’s breath catch. Dark hair; even darker armour. A mask that covered their face. The mutant from the boat. 

Tony steals a glance behind him. Steve has his hands clasped around the bars of the gate to the arena. The blonde isn’t looking at Tony though. His steel-blue eyes are stuck on the mutant; fear and shock written across his features in blinding colour. 

Tony gulps, turning back to the matter at hand. 

“Keep it moving,” a voice grunts from above. 

There was a crossbow zeroed in on the mutant, forcing him to continue into the daylight. The mutant’s head moves ever so slightly towards the voice before he keeps walking. His gate is wide and stiff, like a suit of armour come to life. 

Tony tightens his grip on his shield in order to keep his hand from shaking. 

The world feels as if it’s stopped on its axis. The mutant continues to approach cautiously, and Tony tries to take a step but almost trips. He steadies himself and squares his stance, making himself look bigger than he is. 

“I’m ready,” Tony whispers, allowing the words to roll over him before taking a second, stronger step forward. 

The mutant freezes. His shoulders stiffening and for a brief second. Tony wonders if the man heard what he had just said. 

Tony uses the man’s pause in stride to his advantage. He crosses the few several feet between them in a couple of swift bounds, coming to a halt before the man and looking up with narrowed eyes. The mutant is nothing more than a shadow against the noon sun; his figure becoming one with his armour. 

They are close enough that they can speak without being heard by the crowd. 

Tony reaches up, the mutant stiffening further, and removes his own helmet. “It’s alright,” Tony says, trying to reassure. “I don’t want to fight you.” 

He throws the helmet to the ground, the metal hitting the stone with a resounding  _ clang. _ The crowd starts murmuring, the sound slowly rising to an upset roar. Vikings were crying out in displeasure from all angles, the words crashing into Tony like a wave of shock that he tried to deflect. 

“I’m not one of them,” Tony says, and he knows that the mutant can hear him despite the cries. 

“Stop the fight!” One voice shouts, ringing out above them all. 

Tony’s eyes flick to the side. Fury is leaning against the caged ceiling, his fingers gripping the bars with vigour. Tony feels his own chest tightening with anger, and with a deep breath, he starts to undo the straps of his chest plate. 

He allows that to fall next, and finally, he throws down his shield. The mutant has yet to move. 

“I need you to see this!” Tony shouts, looking at Fury, but addressing the crowd. “They aren't who we think! They are people just like us! They don’t want to fight, and we don’t need to fight!” 

In a surge of courage, Tony turns his back to his people, looking to the mutant and outstretching a steady hand. The mutant just watches, ice blue eyes wide. Tony doesn't know what he’s doing, but if he can  _ show _ them. If they could see… 

“I said… Stop the fight!” Fury’s voice rings out, shattering the silence and causing the mutant to jump in shock. 

As if he’s a cat, the mutant’s pupils narrow into slits and his mouth clenched into a snarl. In one swift motion, he has grabbed Tony’s wrist in a death grip. Tony cries out in pain, his hand involuntarily curling up and he tries to yank away in surprise. 

The mutant keeps a stronghold, though, and with Tony distracted by the rousing of the crowd, the man gets the upper hand and sweeps under Tony’s leg. The Viking goes down hard, the back of his head hitting the stone without his helmet to protect him, and suddenly the mutant is on top of him. 

“Tony!” Steve is calling out from the sidelines, his voice thick with panic. “Tony!” 

The mutant’s hands come around Tony’s throat, his grips getting tighter and tighter until the world seems to get a little too dim. Tony chokes, gasping for breath with a strained inhale. 

“I… won’t… hurt you,” Tony wheezes. 

The mutant’s grasp falters for a just a second before the screaming of the crowd snaps him back to his senses. He squeezes tighter and tighter until breath is unattainable and the world seems pale. 

Tony feels his own body stop resisting, his hands falling limp at his sides, and where he can’t shout in panic, the town seems to do so for him. 

The volume of the spectators' cries rises in fury until it is all-encompassing. Tony’s senses overtake him, and for a split second, he wishes it would all just go away. 

“Tony!” Steve screams, his voice above them all, and it almost sounds as if he’s crying. 

Tony wants to speak. To tell the mutant to run and protect himself, but he can’t get a word out. His throat is closing and sense escapes him. And then, it’s back. 

The world suddenly comes to him in screaming colour, everything returning far too quickly and making his stomach churn. He gasps for breath, the hands no longer on his neck, and he launches into a coughing fit. 

He curls in on himself on his side, hacking and coughing, and suddenly there are hands-on his side. Tony peers out, his vision clouded by tears, and he can see a blonde head and wide frame. 

“Hey,” Steve says, a hand coming and cupping Tony’s cheek. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” 

Tony wants to give in. To close his eyes and let someone else take care of this, but a commotion catches his eye, and he looks over to see the mutant fighting a smaller figure. 

It takes a moment, but when he recognizes Peter, he is pushing himself to his feet before he can think it over. Steve is pulling him down, but Tony brushes it off and staggers to his feet. 

“Pete,” Tony croaks, his throat burning like someone had dragged blades down his oesophagus.

Peter’s head turns for a split second, his eyes flashing with panic before he is back to wrestling the mutant man. The crowd surrounding them is gasping with shock. 

_ “Another mutant,”  _ someone says from above. 

“Get it!” Another shouts, vicious. 

“Poisonous mutant!” A third party screams and Tony’s chest constricts. 

There are suddenly Vikings coming at him from all sides. Big, strong figures that work hand in hand with Fury and fight mutants nightly. Some grab Peter, while others grabbed the masked mutant, dragging the taller one back towards his cell. 

The mutant man panics, flailing back and forth in an attempt to escape, but the Vikings hold firm. The mutant shakes his head in a frenzy, the mask he was previously wearing knocking loose and falling to the ground. 

Tony gets a glimpse of dark eyebrows and wide, ice-blue eyes. But then the mutant is gone; the Vikings dragging him away into the cells at the back of the arena. Tony can’t bring himself to care about the mystery man right now. His kid was being taken from him. 

“Peter,” Tony gasps, staggering towards the child who was being manhandled by his people. “Stop,” he cries, pounding weakly on the shoulder of a Viking. “Stop it, now!” 

“Get off, Stark,” the Viking man says. Tony doesn't pay enough attention to him to recognize who it is. 

“Tony!” Peter cries. “Tony! Help me!” 

A stunned silence falls over the crowd, but Tony and Peter continue to fight. 

“Let him go!” Tony rasps. “He’s just a kid!” 

There are suddenly hands on his own shoulders holding him back. Tony thrashes back and forth, way too weak to resist whoever was restraining him. 

“Tones, it’s me,” Rhodey’s voice says. 

“Don’t hurt him!” Tony cries, tears blooming in his eyes. 

He can’t help but watch as Peter is dragged back and thrown into the same cell as the other mutants. “Tony!” Peter screams, tears pouring down his cheeks. 

As soon as the door slams shut, Tony slumps forward in a fit of tears. Rhodey holds him up, allowing his friend to curl into his chest as the weight of the past twenty minutes crashes into Tony. 

Tony catches a glimpse of Steve over Rhodey’s shoulder. The soldier is standing in shocked silence. His eyes are trained on the cell door, a single tear rolling down his face. 

Rhodey starts to rub Tony’s back, holding him as Tony’s shoulders hitch. 

They all hear Fury before they see him. 

“What the fuck was that?!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry for such a long wait. Life has been crazy with school resuming for me, and then having to get out university applications... my mind has been spinning. 
> 
> But I promise you won't have that long of a wait before the next chapter. We are approaching the end and I am excited to get back into it!

**Author's Note:**

> So, here's my basic cast of characters: 
> 
> Hiccup -- Tony  
> Toothless -- Peter
> 
> Astrid -- Steve  
> Tuffnut -- Clint  
> Ruffnut -- Nat  
> Snotlout -- Thor  
> Fishlegs -- Bruce 
> 
> Stoick -- Fury  
> Gobber -- Rhodey 
> 
> (Everyone else who will be introduced is basically taking the place of a dragon.) 
> 
> \----
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


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